


What She Didn't Study For

by AshKnight



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Swan Queen - Freeform, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-03-26 01:49:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 42
Words: 47,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3832540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshKnight/pseuds/AshKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma is about to fail out of school, so Regina, her tutor, tries to help her pass, even though Emma is reluctant to study. Rated E for later chapters. SwanQueen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What She Didn't Study For

"I hate history," Emma groaned. "I don't care about the fucking revolutionary war! Why do I have to learn this?"

"Because you're going to fail out of college if you don't!" her tutor retorted, slapping the notebook down on the desk. "Now focus before I get up and leave!"

Emma rolled her eyes and picked up her pencil again.

"Alright, alright. Whatever you say,  _Miss Mills._ "

"Oh, shut up. You're such a smartass."

"You love it," Emma replied, grinning.

"No. I think you're an impertinent little bastard, actually."

Emma bit her lip and didn't know what to say, realizing her light hearted joke had backfired. She hadn't expected the backlash to be quite so severe, but obviously, her tutor was uninterested in having a laugh. Nope. Unfortunately for Emma, she was all business.

"Can we take a break?" Emma whined, putting the pencil down again.

"No, Emma! You've taken three breaks since we started an hour ago. You need to sit still."

"I didn't take my pills."

"Oh, my God! You're fucking unbelievable!" Regina cried, throwing the notebook on the floor and standing up. "I'm leaving. Call me when you seriously want to study."

She let the door slam behind her.

Emma tried to concentrate, but sleep won out, and she passed out with her face in her textbook.

When she woke up the next morning, the sunlight was streaming onto the face. When her eyes fluttered open, she squinted and groaned.

"Ughhh. Fucking seriously? It's too early for this bullshit."

But just as she was about to climb into her bed, the alarm on her phone went off.

"Oh, fuck no."

She nearly smashed the cellphone, but slid her finger over the screen to silence the noise instead. She sat back down at the desk and rested her head on top of the book once more, but more alarms followed, five minutes between each. After about four more of them, she finally cursed and stood up, pulling her jeans off - which she had not changed out of the night before. She slid on a clean pair and put on a new T-shirt - something loose so she'd be comfortable enough to sleep through class - and stepped into her Converse.

"Here we go, world. Time to make you my bitch."

She checked her phone and noticed the new text message waiting for her.

' **Don't forget you have an exam in history today. I hope you're ready. You should have studied. - Mills'**

"SHIT!" she screamed.

She thought about typing a sarcastic response, but realized the girl was right. She  _should_ have studied. But, she got at least a few hours of sleep, and which she didn't regret. She skipped breakfast, instead electing to grab a granola bar for a snack later on. She usually didn't eat lunch either, mostly because she'd rather be napping than sitting in the dining hall. Her afternoon nap between classes, she reasoned, was the only thing keeping her sane. On the other hand, most of her classes were also considered fair game for nap time.

When she sat down in her first period class - English writing - she instantly pulled out her history notes and looked down at them.

"Fuck," she mumbled, staring down at the pages scattered across her desk.

Suddenly, the letters all seemed to twist and blur together and became unintelligible markings. She felt her eyes glazing over and her head spinning.

"So fucked."

"What was that, Miss Swan?" her professor asked, wandering over to her desk and looking down at her.

"I said... so... lucky!" she tried desperately. "Lucky to be in this class with such a great teacher."

When he noticed that her notes were for a class other than his own, he simply said, "Get out, Emma. I don't know why you bother showing up. You're going to fail my class either way."

She sighed, gathered her notebooks, and quietly left the class. In the hallway, she sat on the floor and slapped one of her notebooks against her forehead, leaning back against the wall as she covered her face.

"Emma?" a voice asked.

Emma instantly dropped the notebook and looked up in surprise.

"Oh... Hi, Ruby."

"You okay? You look... Well..."

"Yeah, I know. Professor Taylor just kicked me out of his class and I'm about to go fail my history exam with Professor Dawson."

"Shit."

"Yeah... I know..."

The brunette sat down next to her, taking Emma's hand in her own.

"It'll be okay, love. You're gonna do fine."

"You're so full of shit, Ruby," Emma laughed, shaking her head, causing her blonde locks of hair to bounce around her shoulders.

"I know," Ruby replied, laughing too. "You're totally going to bomb this, aren't you?"

"Pretty much."

The look on Ruby's face grew serious and she glanced over at her friend.

"I'm sorry, Emma," she sighed. She paused and then continued with, "You're going to fail out, aren't you?"

Emma nodded weakly.

"They're going to put me on academic probation after this semester, and if I don't get at least C's next semester, they'll kick me out."

"You still have a chance, then!" Ruby cried enthusiastically.

"You know I can't do this."

"That's bullshit. I know that you CAN. I just know you don't want to."

"I do, though," Emma protested, hanging her head in her hands. "I just can't."

"Emma, let's be honest. And I'm saying this as your friend, but you're just fucking lazy. You don't try. You don't even take your pills."

"They make my mouth dry."

"You're being stupid," Ruby said, kicking Emma's backpack.

Emma sighed but didn't say anything.

"Hey, aren't you getting tutored from that really hot bitch from last year's math class?"

Emma nodded and grinned.

"Totally."

Ruby rolled her eyes.

"You blew it off, didn't you?"

Emma nodded again.

"Mother fucker, Emma! Seriously!"

Sighing, Emma said, "I know, Ruby. I know. I'm trying."

"You are not."

Ruby stood up and grabbed her own bag, throwing it over her shoulder.

"I love you, babe, but get your shit together. If this chick is seriously trying to help you, you need to take advantage of that."

"Oh, I'd love to take advantage of her," Emma said, her mood brightening.

"Stop fucking around."

"Alright!" Emma yelled, kicking her own bag across the hallway. "I'll try. I'll take the stupid fucking pills and let her tutor me. I'll try, okay?"

"Good," Ruby said triumphantly, leaning over and planting a gentle kiss on her friend's forehead. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah," Emma said weakly, with a sigh.

So for during the 25 minutes before her next class, she actually studied.


	2. The Exam

Sitting down in her seat, she felt her hands shaking.

"Oh, Jesus, let me pass this.  _Please_ let me pass this," she prayed, wringing her hands anxiously.

Just as she was about to pull out her pencil, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

' **Good luck, Emma. - Mills'**

She smiled a little, grateful that her tutor wasn't angry with her - or at least that she didn't seem that way. Thinking back on it, she knew she'd definitely been a jerk the night before. What a waste of the poor girl's time. She felt badly about it, but there was nothing she could do now. Swallowing most of her fear, Emma pulled her pencil out of her bag. She took one last look at her notes as her professor walked around handing out the test, then shoved them roughly into her backpack.

"Alright," she said to herself. "Here we go."

She was surprised to find that a few of the questions weren't actually that hard. In fact, they'd been in the notes she'd been studying for the past 25 minutes. Most of them, though, were about things she couldn't even remember learning in the first place. Still, she was glad to know the answers to some of them. When the test was over, she gathered her things and left the classroom. On her way to the dining hall for dinner, she stopped at her English's professor's office.

"Professor Taylor?" she asked shyly, quietly knocking on the door.

"Yes, Emma," the professor said tiredly, taking off his glasses and rubbing his temples.

"I want to pass your class."

"That's funny. I never would have known."

"Please, Professor. I need this."

"I know you do, Emma," he informed her. "But you have to work a lot harder than you have been to get it."

"I will," she told him. "I'll do anything I have to. Just tell me how to pass."

"I want you to re-write that last paper. And I want it turned in tomorrow."

"T-Tomorrow?" Emma gaped.

"You heard me. I'm giving you one chance, and if you blow it, you  _will_ fail my class. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. Now go, before I change my mind."

"Thank you professor," she said. "Thank you so much."

She left the office in a hurry, nearly forgetting her bag on the chair beside the door. When she reached the dining hall, she put her bag in a locker, pocketing the key, and went inside to meet her friends. Four of them sat at a round table near the back of the dining hall. Once Emma found them, she dropped off her coat on one of the chairs and went to find food. On her way to the salad bar, she nearly ran right into a tall, gorgeous brunette.

"Oh, Jesus," Emma gasped, nearly spilling her drink all over the girl. "Fuck. I'm sorry. I... Oh! Hey, Regina."

"Hey, Emma," the girl sighed, pushing a hand through her hair. "How'd it go?"

"Actually, I studied for real between classes. Um... after professor Taylor kicked me out of his."

"He what?" Regina gasped, staring at her.

"I had my history notes out, so he told me to leave."

"You were trying to study?"

"Yeah! And I did, once I was in the hallway. And I even knew a few of the questions on the exam. I think I still failed though. But I know I did way better than last time, at least."

"Emma, that's... That's actually really good."

Emma, feeling validated, smiled at her but stood awkwardly, not saying anything else until she couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Do you think maybe you could stop by my room later to help me with my paper for Professor Taylor? He told me if I re-wrote it well, I could pass his class."

"Seriously?" the brunette gaped. "Wow. You are one lucky girl. He never does that."

"I know. But I've really got to nail this one, or I'm fucked. Can you help?"

It took her a minute to reply, unsure of her answer, but she said, "Sure. I'll be over at six."

"Um... do you want to have dinner with us? We're sitting right over there."

Emma pointed to their table and looked back at her tutor.

"No, that's okay. I'm here with some friends," she told Emma. "I'll see you in about an hour, though, okay?"

Emma nodded and turned to leave, but Regina grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey... Listen..." she started. "I'm proud of you for studying at least that much. I know it's really hard for you."

"Thanks!" Emma said happily, beaming at her.

Emma spent the next 45 minutes with her friends, conversing about anything and everything except school, until she looked down at her watch.

"Shit, guys," she said. "I gotta go. I'm supposed to meet my tutor at 6."

She grabbed her stuff without waiting for them to say goodbye and hurried out of the dining hall. Back at her room, she threw open the door and quickly tidied up, making the bed and throwing all of her books - except the ones she needed for the paper - back on the shelf. Her young tutor had already seen the mess the previous night, but Emma suddenly felt compelled to clean. Just as she was finishing up and tucking her chair under her desk, she heard a knock at the door.

"It's me," a voice called out.

Emma hurried over to the door, nearly tripping over the leg of her desk chair, and pulled the door open.

"Hey," she said, he face flushed.

"It looks good in here," Regina commented, almost looking surprised.

"Thanks," Emma mumbled.

She turned and pulled out one of the chairs, gesturing for the girl to sit down.

"Listen," Emma started, pulling out her own seat and sitting down next to her. "I'm really sorry I've been such a jerk to you. I know you're just trying to help me. This is just really hard for me. I'm just no good at school. I'm great at sleeping though."

Regina laughed.

"I know you are. I bet you passed out in your books last night."

Emma blushed.

"How'd you know? Spying on me, Miss Mills?"

Regina shook her head, still laughing.

"No. I just know you."

Suddenly, Emma looked serious.

"You don't know me, yet, Regina," she said. "But I bet you want to."

With a wink, she grabbed her textbook and opened the cover of her laptop.


	3. Finally Finished

"So how do you want to do this?" Regina asked, looking over at her.

Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"Not really sure. How do you think we should start?"

"Well, let's take a look at what you had the first time and see how much we need to change."

Emma pulled the paper out of her backpack. It was nearly completely red with her professor's corrections and comments, on every page.

"Ouch," her tutor said softly, noticing the numerous markings.

Emma looked down at her lap, suddenly feeling ashamed of her failing grades, even though she'd never felt that way around Regina before. The large red 'F' at the top of the page made her cringe. When Regina noticed, she put a hand on Emma's shoulder.

"It's okay, Emma. We'll fix it."

She looked over the paper slowly, making sure to read all the professor's notes, before she said anything.

"Emma," she said softly. "We've gotta burn this down and build it from the ground up."

The blonde swallowed and nodded her head in understanding.

"Let's do it."

Emma opened her textbook and sighed, flipping through a few pages.

"So how much do we have to change?"

"All of it."

At half-past 11, Emma started to yawn. They'd only come up with two out of the five pages required for the assignment.

"Stay with me, Emma," Regina said softly, putting her hand on the girl's forearm. "I know you're tired, but you can do this."

Emma's hands dropped to her lap. She wanted to start whining, to complain, to say 'no, I can't,' but instead, she nodded her head and lifted her hands back up to the keyboard where she kept typing, looking back and forth between her books and the computer screen.

"That's good!" Regina said, excitedly pointing at the screen. "That's really, really good!"

Emma grinned proudly and looked up at her.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Regina nodded, pushing her own hair out of her face.

"Keep going. We can get this done. I'll stay up with you. We just gotta finish this. I really want you to pass, Emma..."

Emma looked at her, surprised at the tenderness of the statement.

"Thanks," she said quietly, looking back down at her lap.

The later it got, the more Emma yawned, until she looked down at her watch and saw '3:14 a.m.' displayed on its screen.

"Holy shit," she mumbled. "It's  _so_ late."

Regina yawned, too.

"I know, but you're almost done."

45 minutes later, Emma printed out five pages - plus two pages of a works cited - and stapled them together. Gasping with relief, she dropped down on her bed, folding her hands behind her head, and shut her eyes.

"Oh, thank God," she sighed. "That was excruciating."

"But you did it," Regina said.

"No," Emma protested. " _We_ did it."

"You wrote it, Emma. I just edited and told you what to keep and what to toss or change."

"Yeah, but that helped."

"That's why I'm here, right?"

Regina smiled at her and yawned again, rubbing her eyes.

"I should go," the brunette said, standing up.

"Wait," Emma said. "It's super late. Do you want to crash here? You can have the bed and I'll sleep on the floor."

Regina hesitated, then said, "I don't have my clothes for tomorrow."

"I'll walk you to your room in the morning. We'll get up early. I don't think you should walk around by yourself when it's this late..."

Emma trailed off, looking concerned as she glanced out the window into the darkness.

Regina blushed.

"You? Getting up early? Now, that I'd like to see," she laughed.

"I would, for you. You just stayed up half the night for me."

"That's true," her tutor agreed. She thought for a minute, then decided, "I'll stay, if that's really alright. I am super tired. I'm not taking your bed though. No way."

"Why? Does it gross out out?"

"What?"

"All the cum on the sheets from all the bitches I bring home."

Regina rolled her eyes.

"You're disgusting."

"I know," Emma said, grinning proudly. "Seriously, though. I just washed the sheets. They're clean. I promise."

"It's not that," Regina told her seriously. "I just don't want to take the bed from you."

"Please," Emma begged. "It'll make me feel better."

With a sigh, her tutor reluctantly sat down on her bed.

"Do you always pull this trick on women, or am I the only one?"

"Never on a tutor."

"You've never  _had_ another tutor," Regina said, rolling her eyes.

"Actually, yeah I have," Emma told her. "I was in special education classes all throughout middle school."

"Oh... I'm sorry..."

"It's okay," Emma said, shrugging.

"No, really. I didn't mean... I just..."

"Hey, seriously. It's fine. I'm not ashamed of it. But yes, I have had tutors, and no, I've never invited one to spend the night."

There was a pause where Regina stared at her as Emma heard her own words play back in her mind.

"I didn't mean it like that," she mumbled.

"I know," Regina said, laughing. "It's okay."

They were quiet for a while, until Emma sat up and looked and Regina, who was looking at her.

"I have a spare toothbrush if you want it."

"Yeah, that would be great."

They went to the dorm bathroom together and each brushed their teeth in a sink. Emma changed into her pajamas, but left her socks on.

"You sleep with your socks on?" Regina asked with a laugh.

Emma just nodded and said, "Dunno why. I just do. I don't like being cold."

"Most people don't."

"You ready to crash?" Emma asked.

"Uh-huh. I'll hit the lights."

Regina stood up and walked over to the doorway, flicking on the light switch. On her way back to the bed, she tripped over Emma and fell forwards, her shin hitting the hard wooden frame.

"FUCK, that hurt!" Regina cursed, collapsing on the floor next to Emma and holding her leg.

Emma immediately jumped up and hit the lights again, rushing back to Regina's side.

"Are you okay? Here, let me get you some ice. I have and ice-pack in the freezer."

Emma grabbed the ice-pack and a thin towel, wrapping it around the frozen block so that it wouldn't sting the girl's skin. Gently, she pressed the ice-pack against Regina's quickly-swelling shin and held it there. Regina cursed again, but Emma didn't move away.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know it hurts, but it'll take the swelling down. I'll get you some ibuprofen in a minute, okay?"

Regina nodded, her eyes watering.

"E-Emma," she stuttered.

"Yeah?"

"T-Thank you," Regina said softly, looking into Emma's eyes.

Emma put her own hand gently on top of her tutor's, not breaking the gaze.

"Anytime, love."

"We should get some sleep."

Emma pulled away quickly and nodded, handing over the ice-pack and grabbing the bottle of pain medicine off of her desk.

"Here," she said, handing the bottle to the other girl. "It'll help."

Regina didn't like taking pills, but she agreed and popped two into her mouth, taking a sip of Emma's water. When she got back into bed, the ice-pack still pressed against her shin, she sighed and squeezed her eyes shut.

"It hurts," she mumbled.

Emma sighed and said, "I know. I'm sorry."

Regina went quiet for a few minutes, but just as Emma was about to say goodnight, she heard the girl's slow and heavy breathing and knew she was asleep.


	4. Books

In the morning, Emma woke up to the sound of the alarm on her phone. As she rolled over to shut it off, she was grateful that she hadn't let her tutor sleep on the floor. Her back ached as she moved, and it made her wince in pain.

"Shit," she cursed quietly, grabbing her phone and checking her text messages as she lay back down on the floor.

'Going out with us tonight? - Rubes'

Emma smiled and texted back a quick, 'definitely,' before closing the phone and setting it on her desk as she climbed out from under the pile of blankets. It was warm in the room, but Emma hated being cold, so she used multiple blankets. Regina, on the other hand, had kicked all of her blankets off in the middle of the night. One of them had even fallen off the bed and onto the floor beside Emma. The blonde smiled at this, but noticed that Regina was shivering. Apparently, it had been warm enough during the night, but the room had gotten just a little bit colder since the time that Regina had kicked off the covers. Emma gently pulled the blanket up over the girl, hoping she wouldn't wake up. Luckily for her, the brunette didn't awaken. Emma gathered her things and got in the shower, trying to be as quick as possible to make sure they had time to go get Regina's change of clothes from her room before they had class. When she got back to the room, fully dressed in new clothes, she noticed that Regina had rolled over and was hugging the covers tightly.

Emma touched her shoulder and whispered, "Hey. Regina. Time to get up."

Reluctantly, the brunette rolled over to face Emma and sighed.

"Alright."

As the two collected their things and got ready to leave, Emma wondered if Regina had noticed that she'd put the covers back on her. Looking back, it probably wasn't the best idea she'd ever had. What if she'd woken up? Emma blushed to herself, thinking of this, and grabbed her keys off her desk.

"Ready?"

Regina nodded and the two made their way down the hallway and out the front door of the building. The brunette lived in a different dorm that was about a five minute walk away.

"Your books look heavy," Emma commented, noting the amount of weight that Regina was holding. "Can I carry them?"

"W-What?" Regina stammered. "N-No. I'm fine, I just..."

Emma stopped walking and held out her hands.

"Let me carry your books. It's the least I can do after what you did for me last night."

Regina sighed and handed over the pile, which Emma took easily. Still, Emma bent her knees and pretended to collapse under the weight.

"Holy shit, girl!" she laughed. "What are all these for?"

"Well, the first three are novels for 18th century British literature, and the next two are for history of Roman civilization, and the big one on the bottom is for advanced calculus."

"Jesus," Emma breathed, looking down at all the books in her arms. "What's in your backpack then?"

"A puppy."

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Seriously. Why won't these fit in your bag?"

"The three books I have for Spanish and the two I have for French."

"My God. How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"How do you take five advanced level classes your senior year and still survive AND apply for graduate school?"

Regina shrugged and kept walking.

"Discipline."

Emma sighed and followed closely beside her. Emma knew discipline was something she'd never have. At least she was trying, though, Emma reasoned. That must have counted for something. As they walked, Emma couldn't help but occasionally look over at the brunette, admiring the way her hair bounced lightly as she walked and the way the sun made it seem to glow. When she caught herself doing this, she immediately looked down and watched her feet as she walked, attempting to avert her eyes before Regina noticed her staring. Unfortunately for her, that meant that her eyes weren't facing forward, so...

"Fuck," Emma cursed, walking directly into a lamp post.

Regina burst into a fit of laughter and pointed at her. "You, my dear, are a professional."

Emma scowled.

"Shut up."

"Staring at your feet, I presume?"

"Yes," Emma mumbled, looking down and feeling grateful that she hadn't dropped any of the books.

"Are you hurt?"

The girl shook her head.

"How's your leg, though?" the blonde asked, stopping to look at her again.

"It hurts," she admitted, looking down briefly. "It's fine though. It'll stop."

"You should take some more ibuprofen," Emma told her, but Regina shook her head.

"Don't have any."

"Here, I keep some in my bag."

Emma stopped handed her the pile of books and set her backpack on the ground, opening it and pulling out a small pill bottle and giving Regina two of them.

"Drug dealer much?" Regina joked.

"No. I just manage to get myself hurt a lot," she retorted. "Keep the bottle with you and take some every four hours. It'll keep the swelling down."

Regina nodded quietly and reluctantly took the two pills, taking a sip out of her water bottle.

"Thanks."

With a smile, Emma took the pile of books back into her arms and continued the walk to Regina's dorm room. Once they were there, Emma placed the books on the girl's desk and stood patiently by the door as the brunette gathered her change of clothes.

"I'll be right back," Regina told her. "You can sit, you know."

When Regina left the room, Emma sat down at the desk, even though, for some reason, it felt awkward to be in the girl's bedroom. She was grateful when the girl returned, and before Regina got the chance to grab her books off the desk, Emma had already taken them back into her arms.

"What time is your first class?"

''Nine-thirty," Regina answered, looking down at her watch.

"What?" Emma gaped. "Why'd we get up so early?"

"Well, we have to eat breakfast, obviously."

Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"I usually only eat dinner."

"Well, this morning, you're eating with me," Regina told her, matter-of-factly.

With a sigh, Emma shrugged again and clutched the books to her chest.

"If I must," she teased, holding the door to the hallway open with her free hand. "After you."


	5. Breakfast

"So, how are your classes going?" Emma asked as they walked down the hallway towards the dorm's exit.

"Um, well... I guess Spanish is pretty easy for me since I've been taking it so long, but I don't really like it much. Advanced calculus is pretty much the same. I'm good at it, but I don't like it."

"What about 18th century Brit lit?"

"Actually, I love it. I'm a big fan of reading, even though my head is really more math-minded. History of Roman civilization is totally captivating, too."

"You're such a nerd," Emma said with a grin.

"I know," Regina giggled. "Are you sure I can't carry my books the rest of the way?"

"Positive."

"Why do you like British literature?"

"I guess because the writing is just so beautiful. The poems are wonderfully deep and romantic, but some of them are also really dark, which I also like."

"So you do have a dark side."

Regina stopped and winked at her.

"Absolutely."

With a smile, they stepped outside, feeling the cold wind whip their cheeks.

"Holy crap, it's cold," Regina said, looking around as her hair blew into her face.

She reached up and tucked some of her hair behind her ears, squinting a little as the temperature of the wind stung her eyes. Emma noticed that Regina hadn't brought a jacket; she'd forgotten all about it in the hurry. Just as the brunette was about to start walking again, Emma grabbed her arm.

"Wait. Regina, put this on."

She hurried over to the nearest bench outside and set the pile of books down, immediately wiggling out of her coat and walking back over to Regina. She stood behind the girl and draped the garment over her shoulders, but the girl pulled away.

"Nuh-uh. You need it."

"I don't get cold very easily," Emma lied, forcing a small smile.

Reluctantly, Regina sighed and slipped her arms into the jacket as Emma held it for her.

"Thank you," she mumbled, looking into Emma's eyes.

The blonde just nodded and lifted the enormous pile of books back into her arms. The rest of the walk to the dining hall was relatively quiet, and they also didn't talk much when they first got to the dining hall. Too many people, too much noise. Regina grabbed them a table, taking Emma's leather jacket off and draping it over a chair to mark their space as they both went looking for food. Once they were back in their seats, they stayed quiet as they started to eat. When the silence grew awkward, Emma decided to speak to break it.

"You doing anything tonight?" she asked casually, lifting another mouthful of food to her lips.

Regina shook her head. I have a Roman civ test tomorrow I have to study for."

"Oh, come on. I bet you've been studying all week. You should come out."

"I have..." Regina replied, embarrassment showing on her face. "Where are you going?"

"There's a party at a sorority house downtown."

The girl laughed and shook her head.

"No way."

"Why not? It'll be fun."

"Absolutely not. A sorority? Seriously? I'd never pin you as the type to enjoy Greek life."

"I'm not. Their parties are just totally wild, and there's usually coke."

"Are you kidding me?" Regina asked, staring in disbelief.

"Of course I'm kidding!" Emma cried with a laugh. "Don't be silly. I don't do drugs... often."

"Emma!"

With a grin, Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"Just playing, 'Gina."

"Don't call me that," the brunette scolded, scowling.

"Alright, alright. I won't. Can I call you Miss Mills, then?"

"Anything's better than 'Gina."

They both laughed at this and continued to banter back and forth as they finished their meal.

"The eggs weren't half bad today," Emma commented, glancing down at her empty plate.

Regina nodded and said, "You're right. They really weren't. Usually, they're horrible. I was really hungry though."

"I usually don't eat breakfast, but I'm glad I did. Actually, it was really nice to get to spend some normal time with you. Like, time not spent studying."

"We never spend time studying, either, Emma."

The blonde frowned and put her fork and knife on top of her plate and grabbed her half-empty glass of orange juice from the table.

"Sorry," she mumbled, standing up.

Emma pulled two white and orange pills out of her pocket and popped them in her mouth, downing them with the rest of the juice.

"Ready to go?" Emma asked. "I'll walk you to class. Mine's not until ten."

"Okay."

Emma grabbed Regina's plate too - also empty - and put it in the dish return for her, making sure to use the hand sanitizer as she left the dining hall and gathered their things. Because the lobby was so crowded, they left in single-file, Emma going first and holding the door open for her tutor who was close behind.

"That actually wasn't bad," Emma commented. "Maybe I'll start having breakfast more often."

"You really should," Regina told her. "It's good for you. It'll help you focus, too."

"Think so?"

"I know so."

They smiled at each other as they walked to Regina's classroom, which was in a building all the way across campus.

"I'm actually not tired for once," Emma told her as they stood outside her classroom with fifteen minutes before the class began.

"Good. It's because you took your pills, you know."

Emma sighed.

"Yeah, I know."

Regina touched her arm gently and looked into her eyes.

"It's okay to need meds, Emma. It's not a big deal. I know you don't like the stigma associated with it, but it's honestly nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yeah," Emma mumbled, awkwardly shifting her weight from one leg to the other as she looked down at Regina's hand on her forearm.

Regina slowly moved her hand away and let it rest at her side as she kept looking at Emma, without saying anything.

"I gotta go," Regina told her, looking over at the classroom door as students filed into the room and claimed their desks. "You know me. I've gotta have a desk in the front."

Emma nodded and, to Regina's surprised, walking into the classroom with her. She placed the books down gently on the girl's desk and smiled at her.

"Have a good class. Think about going to the party tonight. I'd love to see you actually having some fun for once," she teased.

Regina smiled and and gave a nod.

"I'll think about it."

Emma left the classroom feeling hopeful.


	6. I Hate Freshmen

As Emma made her way to class, she couldn't help but think about Regina. Her mind seemed to be locked on the girl, unable to sway her thoughts to anything else. During class, though, Emma sat in the front for the first time that year and focused intently on the professor, listening to his every word and taking diligent notes. As hard as it was, it was a lot easier than the previous day when all the letters had seemed to blur together into a puddle of mush.  _Guess the meds are working_ , she figured. It had been months since she'd taken them. Though her mouth was, in fact, dry, just as she'd complained to Ruby that it would be, she at least felt awake enough to absorb some of what her professor was saying. By the end of the class, she'd learned more about English writing than she had the entire semester - mostly because she'd slept through the majority of her classes. At the end of the class, she approached her professor and held out her paper, which was covered in emotional blood, sweat, and tears.

"Thank you for giving me another chance, Professor Taylor. I really appreciate it."

He nodded and accepted the paper stiffly, nearly jerking the document out of her hands.

Instead of simply saying 'you're welcome,' he turned and gathered his things, leaving the classroom just as quickly, with Emma standing in the empty room on her own.

She made her way to her other class, which was about an hour later, electing not to take her usual nap back in her dorm room.

' **Still on for tonight? -Em,'** she texted Ruby as she sat down outside the classroom, placing her heavy bag beside her; she'd actually brought her books for class that day.

' **10 o'clock. You're bringing the beer. - Rubes'**

' **There's gonna be some there. - Em'**

' **K. - Rubes'**

Emma smiled and put her phone in her pocket as she pulled out her history notebook.

"American history," she mumbled with a sigh. "Oh, how I hate you."

"Hey, Emma," a voice called out, the sound of high heels stepping down the hallway echoing in the girl's ears.

"Oh, hey, Jess."

"How do you think you did on the test?" the girl asked.

Emma shrugged.

"Failed."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Jess was quiet for a few moments, not knowing what to say. Instead of speaking right away, she sat down against the wall across from Emma.

"You should sit next to me in class," Jess told her. "I'll keep you awake this time."

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Very funny."

"She's going to kick you out if you don't quit passing out, you know. Eventually, she's going to notice."

With a shrug, Emma said, "Nah. I doubt it. It's a big lecture hall and I sit in the back. She's not gonna see me. She always stands in the front."

"I hope you're right, Emma. I really don't want to see you get kicked out."

"Yeah," she said. "I already got kicked out of Professor Taylor's English class once for having my history notes out during class."

"Wow."

"Yep."

"You're kind of a rebel, huh?"

"Guess so," Emma said, shrugging again.

"I like that in a girl," Jess said huskily, stretching out her leg and pressing her foot gently against Emma's.

Looking surprised, Emma glanced at her, trying to read the expression on her face. The girl looked completely serious. In fact, her eyes were glazed over with something that looked like lust. Luckily for Emma, the bell rang, signaling for her to get up and grab her stuff to go find a seat in the classroom. Thinking it would be rude to decline the invitation, Emma sat next to the other girl in the middle of the lecture hall, taking her notebook out quietly and keeping her eyes straight forward, avoiding Jess' gaze.

"Hey," Jess whispered, leaning closer as the professor started to talk. "How much do you hate this class?"

"So much," Emma groaned.

Realizing the teacher would probably hear them whispering or notice them leaning in towards each other during the lecture, Jess looked down and tore a page from her own notebook, scribbling down a few words and handing the paper over to Emma.

' **What are you doing tonight?'**

Emma wrote a reply.

' **Party downtown.'**

' **Ditto. Head of the sorority invited my sister, who invited me. See you there?'**

' **Sure.'**

"Girls," the teacher's voice rang out as she stood next to them in the isle. "Is there something you'd like to share with the class about American history?"

They both shook their heads in unison.

"Then I suggest you stop passing notes and pay attention in my class."

They swallowed hard and each gave a nod, staring down at their notebooks. As the teacher walked away, Jess giggled quietly.

When the class was over, the girl stopped Emma in the hallway before she could leave.

"Wanna get dinner?" Jess asked enthusiastically.

"I'm having dinner with Ruby and Belle, but if you want to join us, you can."

"That would be great."

They walked to the dining hall together and when Emma found her friends, she sat down between them, leaving the space across from them open for Jess.

"What's she doing here?" Ruby whispered in her ear as the girl walked away to get food.

"I don't know," Emma sighed. "She's been talking me up for the past two hours."

"She's looking at you like you're a fucking piece of meat."

"I know," Emma said. "It's really weird."

"Why is it weird? You're gorgeous, and everyone knows it. You shouldn't be surprised someone's got a crush on you. Besides, she's a Freshman, so you're the older woman, and everyone likes that."

With a wink, Ruby stood up and grabbed her empty plate.

"Shut up, Ruby," Emma mumbled, standing and grabbing her own plate as well.

The girls made their way around the dining hall looking for the food that sucked the least, then made their way back to the table. When they were all sitting down eating, Emma spoke first.

"Jess is going to the party, too," she told them, nodding toward the girl.

"You should come with us!" Belle said happily, clapping her hands with enthusiasm. "The more the merrier, right?"

Ruby rolled her eyes and shot Emma a glare.

As soon as Jess got up to find dessert, she muttered, "I fucking hate Freshmen."


	7. The Party

After dinner, they gathered in Belle's dorm room to get ready for the party, each of them - except Emma - pulling on shorter skirts and their best high heels. Belle fixed her hair in the mirror while Ruby and Jess straightened theirs and Emma sat on the bed, looking at her phone.

"Ugh," Emma sighed. "Graham's going to be there. He just texted me."

Emma's ex boyfriend was the last person on Earth she wanted to talk to.

"What'd he say?" Ruby asked curiously, looking over at the blonde.

"He said, 'Hope I see you, babe.'"

"Gross," Ruby and Belle said in unison.

Emma rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Not funny."

"Way funny."

"Yeah, Emma," Jess said. "It's a little funny."

Ruby rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by the first-year student.

"You guys ready?" Belle asked with a smile, grabbing her purse off the desk.

They each gave a nod and made their way out of the dorm. Walking down the street all the way downtown in short skirts - except Emma, who was still wearing pants - was a little bit painful. The cold bit at their cheeks and legs, but none of them were willing to wear jackets. They knew that, once they were inside, the place would be full of people, sweat and heat.

When they walked into the enormous house, the place was packed. Belligerent freshmen were pressed up against horny jocks, and slutty senior sorority girls clung tightly to their football-playing boyfriends. The music was loud, but perfect for dancing, so they each grabbed a solo cup full of beer, downed it quickly - except Belle, who took her time - and started to dance. Ruby and Belle danced close to each other - they weren't a couple, but it was obvious they wanted to be. Ruby wasn't into commitment, though, and Belle was afraid of getting hurt, so they agreed to stay friends. Still, that hadn't stopped them from 'accidentally' getting drunk and having a one-night stand the previous semester. Since then, Emma had noticed that they'd had a hard time keeping their eyes off each other. A few men approached Emma, asking for a dance, but she declined them, deciding instead to stay close to her friends. She watched for her ex, praying he wouldn't manage to find her in the sweaty sea of people.

"Emma," Jess said. "Dance with me."

The girl held her arms out, inviting Emma to bring her body closer, but Emma shook her head.

"Nah, it's okay. I hate dancing."

"Dance with me," she repeated, moving closer.

When Jess put her hands on Emma's waist, the blonde sighed and stepped closer too, bringing their bodies together. Interpreting this as an invitation, Jess slid an arm behind Emma's back and pulled until their hips were pressed together. They danced like that for a while, Jess grinding on Emma with blatant enthusiasm. Emma's mind was far away, though. She knew where the night was going. Like Ruby, she wasn't one for commitment, which was part of the reason she left Graham. No, wait. He'd cheated on her.  _That_  was why. But still, she wasn't one to date, and Graham had been the last steady relationship she'd had since her first semester of her freshman year in college. Instead, Emma was known for her one-night stands and her seductive way with women. This night, Emma knew, would be much the same. She'd walk the girl back to her dorm - just to be polite - and they'd fuck. Jess would come quickly - Emma had always been good in bed - but Emma wouldn't come at all. She'd fake it, though, to end the moment. After the first failed try, Emma would hurriedly put her clothes on and announce that she was leaving. Jess, confused and surprised, would ask her to stay, and Emma would explain that she wasn't one for serious relationships. She'd leave, go back to her own room, and lay awake for hours, unsatisfied and empty.

The drunker she got, the harder Jess pressed their bodies together, until everything was a blur and their tongues were moving together.

"Uh, hey," a voice said loudly, trying to be heard over the music.

Emma pulled away slowly and sluggishly turned her head toward the voice.

"'Gina! Shit, girl. You came!" she slurred. "Well, you haven't come yet, I assume, but we can make that happen."

"Um..." Regina said, staring.

Jess just laughed and kept her arms around Emma, swaying drunkenly back and forth.

"I'm gonna go. I'll leave you two alone."

"Hey," Emma protested, pulling away from the girl who was holding her tightly. "Hey, don't. I'm sorry. I... I didn't think you'd show up."

"Nice to see what you do in your free time."

Emma pulled her aside and stumbled over towards an emptier corner of the room.

"I don't normally drink; I just had a lot on my mind."

"Why? Is something going on?"

Regina sounded genuinely concerned.

"No, I just..."

"Nevermind. You don't have to tell me," the brunette said. "Seriously, though. I'm gonna go. This is kind of bullshit and I should be studying."

"Please don't leave," Emma said sloppily, thinking nothing of the companion she'd brought to the party. "Relax. Don't be such a stiff. Have a drink."

Emma held out her half-full cup and waited for Regina to take it. Reluctantly, she did, reasoning that Emma was probably right and that it was also probably time for her to loosen up, at least a little bit. She took a few sips, grimacing at the taste.

"Ugh," she groaned. "This tastes like piss."

"You get used to it," Emma told her, putting her hand on Regina's arm.

The more Regina drank, the more relaxed she became, and she even started to laugh at Emma's jokes - which really weren't all that funny. Emma sobered up just enough to talk with only a slight slur in her words, but stayed relatively drunk the rest of the night. She'd completely forgotten about Jess, who was on the other side of the room with Ruby and Belle, but Jess was drunk enough that she'd probably forgotten about Emma, too, which Emma didn't really mind at all.

"You're really pretty," Emma said, leaning in closer to whisper in the girl's ear.

Regina blushed and mumbled, "You too."


	8. Getting Drunk

As the night went on, Regina lost count of the number of drinks she'd had - as did Emma - until her face flooded with color and heat.

"Em... I think I'm drunk..."

Emma laughed loudly and grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her closer.

"You are," she said, grinning. "I like you like this. You're not such a prude."

But as Emma noticed how slowly Regina was reacting, concern filled her eyes.

"Regina... You okay?"

Regina shook her head.

"I'm gonna... I'm gonna get sick..."

"C'mon," Emma said quickly, sobering up enough to squeeze the girl's hand and pull her through the crowd of drunken college students. She brought the girl into the bathroom and shut and locked the door, helping her kneel down in front of the toilet.

"This is the first time you've ever been drunk, isn't it?"

Regina nodded, then heaved forward, emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

"Oh, God," she groaned.

Emma held her hair back and sighed, suddenly feeling guilty for allowing her to drink too much.

"It's okay, buddy. I'm right here."

Regina heaved again, puking and coughing. Someone banged on the bathroom door, and Emma turned to look towards the noise.

"Hey, FUCK OFF," Emma yelled, kicking the door with her foot. "She's getting sick."

The voice on the other side of the door cursed, but the pounding stopped as Regina kept throwing up over and over again until her body was exhausted from the effort. Regina started to cry as the last of her dinner was expelled into the porcelain bowl. Emma rubbed her back gently and sat with her until the puking stopped. When it did, Emma took her hand and lifted her off the floor.

"Let's get you home," Emma said softly, wrapping an arm around Regina to hold her up.

She stopped to tell Ruby and Belle she was leaving - both of whom were also relatively drunk - and nearly carried Regina out of the house and back to her dorm room. She didn't bother to apologize to Jess for ditching her at the party. Instead, she focused every once of sober energy she had - which wasn't much - on Regina.

"Almost there," Emma told her.

Once they arrived at Regina's dorm, Emma passed them into the building with her ID card and pulled the keys from Regina's pocket to open the door to her bedroom. Regina stumbled into the room, barely able to stand, so Emma lifted her into her arms and placed her gently on the bed.

"You need rest," Emma said softly, tucking her under the blankets.

Regina shook her head.

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You're really drunk, and you need to sleep it off. I'll stay right here to make sure you're okay."

Regina shook her head.

"Nuh-uh. I sleep naked."

A grin played across the girl's lips as she looked into Emma's eyes.

"No, you don't. You're too much of a prude for that."

"I know," Regina giggled.

"Rest."

Emma sat next to her on the bed rubbing her back, making sure she wasn't going to get sick again. Just as she seemed like she was about to fall asleep, Emma stood, and Regina sat up slowly.

"I hear you're a really good fuck, Emma," she slurred.

The blonde actually looked a little embarrassed.

"Yeah? Where'd you hear that?"

"Michaela. And Dawn. And Ashley."

A blush rose to Emma's cheeks and she shook her head.

"No," she said. "I'm just a slut."

"Sleeping with multiple people does not make you a slut," Regina responded seriously.

"That's exactly what it makes me."

Emma shook her head sadly and stared down at the blankets. She could tell Regina was having trouble staying sitting up, so she gently pressed down on her shoulder.

"Stop talking and go to sleep, Regina," she sighed. "Or you're going to regret what you say in the morning."

Involuntarily, unable to keep herself sitting, Regina collapsed down on the bed and rolled back onto her stomach. Emma stayed up the rest of the night watching her, making sure she wasn't going to get sick again.

"Goodnight, Regina," she whispered, gently running a hand through the brunette's hair.

She placed a bucket next to the bed and paced back and forth until she finally grew too exhausted to stand. She sat down at Regina's desk and looked at the massive piles of books, knowing that some of them - even some of the textbooks - were there just for pleasure. There were historical fiction novels, memoirs, biographies, comedies, romance novels, and there were even dictionaries for multiple languages (Spanish, German, French), all of which she spoke nearly fluently. On her desk was a picture of her parents, both who had died - her mother very recently. Emma sighed sadly, feeling pity. She was lucky her parents were still alive, even if she did resent them for giving her up for so many years.

Around five in the morning, Emma fell asleep leaning on the desk with her face on her arm. She'd set her alarm for seven-thirty. When she woke to the sound - a Super Mario Bros ringtone - she moaned softly and looked over at Regina.

"Shit," she cursed.

She hadn't meant to fall asleep. She'd wanted to stay up the whole night, just to be sure Regina would be okay. Luckily, Emma found her sleeping soundly and breathing heavily. Reluctantly, not wanting to wake the sleeping beauty, she shook the girl's shoulder.

"Nuh-uh," Regina mumbled. "Not gonna happen."

"Yes, it is. You have to get breakfast and go to class."

"No breakfast," she said weakly. "Fuck. Gonna be sick..."

Emma grabbed the bowl and held it steadily in front of Regina, who instantly threw up into it.

"So hungover," she groaned.

"I know, babe, but you gotta get up. You can't miss class.

"I know," Regina sighed, throwing the covers off. Just as she was about to stand up, she got sick again.

When she lifted her head, she apologized, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment.

"It's okay," Emma told her, rubbing her back. "I'm gonna go sit in the hallway while you get dressed, okay?"

Regina shook her head.

"Gotta shower."

"That's a good idea. Sometimes the water pressure helps to relax."

Regina stumbled her way to the bathroom, grateful to have someone there to help her through the hangover.


	9. Another Morning

"Let's go," Regina said as she walked back into the room. "I'm gonna be late if we eat breakfast."

Emma looked at her watch.

"You won't be late. I promise."

Without asking, Emma grabbed the girl's books again and headed out the door, Regina close behind her.

"No breakfast."

"Yes, breakfast."

"No."

"Yes. We're eating. It'll help you feel better."

"I'll throw it up."

"You won't," Emma promised. "The worst of it is over."

Regina stopped and looked at her.

"Why did you let me get that drunk?"

"Because I'm an idiot," Emma told her, shame filling her voice, making Regina sigh.

"You're not an idiot. I just should have known better."

"Everyone should get black-out drunk once in their life. Think of it this way: you'll probably never do it again."

"Definitely not."

They both laughed, and Regina gave the girl's arm a playful shove.

"You were pretty drunk, too."

"For a while. I stopped drinking before you did."

"You carried me home..." Regina said, suddenly remembering.

Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, thank you."

Again, Emma shrugged.

"Don't mention it."

They walked on in quiet for a while until they reached the dining hall. As they sat together eating, Regina still looking queasy, Emma watched her.

"The way you chew is really cute," Emma told her.

"What?"

"The way you chew. It's cute."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, you just have this really dainty way of chewing your food."

"That is  _such_ a weird thing to say. You're a dork."

"Whatever," Emma teased, grabbing a Cheerio and throwing it at her, making Regina grab it quickly and throw it back. "Hey, don't start a food fight with me. You'll lose, 'cause I have absolutely no boundaries."

"Well  _that's_ certainly true," Regina giggled.

"Oh, shut up."

Emma rolled her eyes and threw another Cheerio, which landed directly down the front of the brunette's shirt. Emma watched it land and blushed as she realized her eyes were lingering on the cleavage of the girl's breasts. Regina didn't notice her looking, since she was too embarrassed trying to get the thing out of her shirt to pay any attention to Emma.

"Sorry," Emma mumbled.

 _But not really,_ she was thinking.

"So what other stupid stuff did I do last night? I don't remember much of it, except you being totally drunk."

"You tried to make out with Graham. It was  _disgusting._ "

"Oh, my God. Seriously?"

The redness rose to her face as she lifted her hands to cover to her cheeks.

"I'm really sorry, Emma," she told the girl, knowing that Graham was her ex. "That really is gross."

"Nah, I'm just playing. You said some stupid stuff, but that was about it."

"You are such a jerk!" Regina squealed, shoving Emma hard until the girl's chair almost tipped over.

Emma grabbed the table to hold herself steady and laughed.

"Aw, c'mon. You know I'm funny."

"You are  _not_ funny."

"You thought I was last night."

"I was drunk."

"Some people say that the truth comes out when people are drunk because they lose their inhibitions."

"Well that's not true of me," Regina snapped, slamming her grape juice cup down on the table, causing some of it to splash over the sides.

"I bet it is," Emma said seriously. "You should have heard yourself last night."

"Why? What did I say?" Regina asked anxiously, gripping the edges of the table.

"You called me your star student and said you wanted to fuck me."

"Shit," she cursed.

"Kidding," Emma said with a grin.

"ASSHOLE!" Regina nearly screamed, shoving her again.

This time, the chair did tip, and Emma ended up on her back on the floor.

"Jesus," Emma said, climbing to her feet. "Relax. I'm just playing around."

"Well stop it, because that's not fucking funny. And you're not my star student."

Emma knew this was true, but her heart sank anyway. Something about being a terrible student had become embarrassing. She hadn't ever cared before, but suddenly, in front of Regina, it mattered, and she wanted to be better. There was nothing she wanted more than to bring her grades up, just to prove she could do it. (Also, she wasn't too keen on being kicked out of school.)

"I would never have said that," Regina said coldly.

Emma's eyes dropped to the floor, and she said nothing. When Regina saw the hurt in Emma's face, her expression softened.

"Hey, listen," she said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I know you're trying really hard, I just..."

"Forget it," Emma interrupted. "It's fine."

They finished their breakfast in silence, Regina still feeling nauseous and guilty about her previous comment. When they were finished and left the dining hall, Emma still carried her books until they reached Regina's classroom.

"Bye," she said softly, handing over the pile.

"Bye."

As Emma turned to leave, Regina grabbed her arm.

"Emma, wait."

The blonde turned around to face her and waited for her to continue.

"I really am sorry. Do you want help studying for your math quiz tonight?"

"Yeah," Emma said quietly. "That would be great. I promise I'll focus. I took my pills again."

Emma's head was lowered, so Regina reached out and lifted her chin.

"It's okay, Emma. You're doing great. Just keep up the good work."

"Yeah. Hopefully I don't run out of steam."

"Just keep trying. I know you can do this."

"Thanks, 'Gina. I mean... Miss Mills."

Regina rolled her eyes and gave Emma a playful shove.

"Get out of here."

Finally smiling, Emma turned to leave.

On the way to her own class, she replayed the previous night's events in her mind. Over and over again, she watched all the moments Regina had touched her arm or her shoulder, each and every little nudge or smile. But mostly, she replayed the moments where Regina laughed at her jokes, the way her eyes lit up as she looked at Emma. That was one thing Emma didn't regret: the fact that Regina had been drunk enough to let loose and actually laugh. Most importantly, though, she'd been laughing at Emma.

She thought about what Regina had said before bed, listening to the words repeat in her mind.  _'I hear you're a really good fuck, Emma.'_  She played the words again and again throughout class, having trouble paying attention and taking notes. The more she thought about it, the louder the words got.


	10. Dinner With Friends

After class, Emma checked her phone for messages and found one from Ruby.

' **So did you get some action with the sexy tutor last night, Romeo? Jess was pretty bummed when you left. I think she thought she was gonna get some. - Rubes'**

' **Nah. She got sick. I just stuck around to help out. - Em'**

' **Seriously? - Rubes'**

' **Yeah. What? Why? - Em'**

' **You're not really the nurturing type, Em. - Rubes'**

' **She needed help. She'd never been drunk before. - Em'**

' **Wow. You've gotta be kidding me. She's a senior in college and she'd never been drunk? - Rubes'**

' **Don't give her shit, Ruby. It's not funny. She's just more concerned about her academics than partying every night, which is more than I can say for myself. - Em'**

Emma sighed and put the phone away, growing irritated with her friend and not caring to see the response. In the hallway before her next class - biology - she pulled out the notes she'd taken from her math class and reviewed them, trying to make sense of what she'd written as she attempted to push the thoughts of Regina from her mind. Eventually, though, they were too much to bear, and she caved in, pulling her cellphone back out of her pocket.

' **What time you coming over tonight? - Em'**

' **Six sound okay? -Mills'**

' **Do you want to meet us for dinner at five? - Em'**

' **No thanks. I've got plans. - Mills'**

' **You don't like Belle and Ruby, do you? - Em'**

' **It's not that. I'm supposed to be eating with a few friends from my Brit lit class to talk about an upcoming paper. I'll see you after though. - Mills'**

' **You don't like them, though. I can tell. - Em'**

' **I like Belle... I just... Ruby's kind of rude, you know? - Mills'**

' **Yeah. She gets like that. Sorry. I'll see you tonight. - Em'**

Emma sighed and threw the phone on top of her backpack. She looked back down at her notes and watched the numbers become a blur.

"No!" she cursed to herself. "Fucking focus."

Trying harder that time, she forced her mind to unscrambled the text to read it clearly. She spent the next hour deciphering the notes until the bell rang and she went into her next class. The two hour biology lab seemed more like five hours, and by the time class was over, her stomach was growling. She nearly ran to the dining hall as soon as she left the room, nearly forgetting her backpack in the rush of the moment.

At dinner, she sat between Belle and Ruby at the round table, as was customary, and sighed as she stared down at her uneaten food.

"I'm starving, but I don't feel like eating," Emma sighed.

"What's up, Em?" Belle asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"The one girl I want to fuck is totally uninterested in me."

"Ooohhh, so  _that's_ what this is about!" Ruby cried, laughing and putting her cup back down on the table. "You've got the hots for teacher."

"Shut up, Ruby. It's not funny."

"It is, kinda."

"No, it's not. God, I get so fucking turned on when she's around. I don't even know what to do with myself. It's so excruciating I want to go to the bathroom and masturbate every five minutes. I can't think, I can't focus..."

Ruby burst out laughing again, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wiped them away.

"Oh, sweet  _Jesus_ , that's rich," Ruby howled, holding her stomach. "You can't focus anyway."

"Shut UP, Ruby!" Emma screamed, shoving her.

"Yeah, Ruby," Belle chimed in, scowling at her friend. "Emma's trying to talk to us about this, and you're kind of being a jerk."

Ruby glared at both of them.

"Whatever. It  _is_ funny, though."

"Fuck off," Emma said angrily.

Ruby went silent and stared down at her food.

"Emma, honey," Belle started. "You should eat."

With a nod, Emma started to pick at her food. A half-hour later, she'd only eaten about a fourth of what was on the plate to begin with.

"I'll eat it," Ruby jumped in. "Give it here."

Emma pushed her plate over to Ruby without looking and let the girl finish her meal, not wanting to waste the food. Ruby was always as hungry as a wolf, so Emma could count on her to finish whatever she didn't want to eat.

"Have you tried to make a move yet?" Belle asked gently, trying to make some conversation to break the awkward silence.

"I mean, I've made jokes... She doesn't take them seriously, though. I guess I don't really take them seriously, either. I flirt with her a little, but mostly I just say some sexual stuff and leave it at that. I  _really_ need her to keep tutoring me. I don't want to make her uncomfortable and fuck this up. Besides, Regina's straight."

"Nobody's straight for you, Em."

The blonde rolled her eyes.

"That's bologna."

"It's not. You can have any girl in this school, and you know it. You've turned 'straight' girls gay plenty of times."

"You can't 'turn' somebody gay, Belle. You either are or you're not."

"Well, fine. But you at least bring the gay out of people who otherwise wouldn't have known they even had it."

With a roll of her eyes, Emma stood up and collected her plates.

"Gotta go, guys. I'm meeting her at six."

"Good luck, Em!" Belle called after her, but Ruby said nothing.

Emma walked back to the dorm slowly, thinking about what she'd told her friends. She definitely regretted opening her mouth, at least to Ruby. As good of a friend as she was, Ruby could be a real bitch. She didn't blame her though. Emma guessed that if she'd been in Ruby's shoes, she probably would have thought it was pretty funny, too. At least Belle had been receptive and understanding - she usually was - but that didn't stop Emma from feeling remorse for opening up. She thought about what Belle had said about making a move, but knew it was out of the question - especially when Regina was actually starting to become her friend.


	11. The Tutor

When Regina knocked on the door, Emma got up from her seat - she'd been looking at her math notes again - and slowly walked to the door, feeling mopey and down. When she opened the door, Regina noticed this. She'd arrived with a few books of her own and set them down on the desk next to Emma's, looking over at the blonde with concern.

"You okay?" she asked, sitting down in the chair on the left hand side.

"Yeah. Fine," Emma lied. "How you feeling?"

"Much better."

"Ready to do this?"

"You ready for this quiz?" Regina retorted seriously.

Emma shook her head.

"That's okay," Regina said with a smile. "You will be."

"I don't get this chapter," Emma sighed, pointing to the text book.

"You mean you actually read it?"

Emma shrugged with a nod and pulled out her math book to show the girl the notes she'd taken that day.

"And I reviewed my notes before my next class, but they don't really make sense to me. I don't get geometry."

"You've just gotta think of it in concrete terms," Regina told her, taking out a pencil from her bag. "It's all about imagining a real-life situation in which the math applies."

"This math applies to the real world?"

Regina nodded.

"Some of it. Some of it you'll never use."

The next hour was spent doing practice problems over and over again until Emma understood one at a time. By the end of the hour, Emma understood about half of what she needed to know for the quiz. Hanging her head in her hands, she sighed.

"I'm never going to get this."

"You will. Don't give up. Hang in there for me. Let's get this done, alright?"

Emma nodded and rubbed her temples, grabbing her pencil and moving on to the next problem. This went on for another two hours or so, until Regina finally put the textbook down on the desk.

"I think you've got it, Emma!" she cried. "I think you've really got it!"

The blonde couldn't help but smile proudly and she leaned back in her chair.

"Does that mean we can stop now?"

Regina nodded.

"I'm really proud of you, Em."

A blush rose to Emma's cheeks as she looked away.

"No, seriously," Regina said. "You did great today."

"Only because you're helping."

"You're a smart girl, Emma. You just have to apply yourself."

"I guess so."

She didn't look sure, so Regina put her hand on top of Emma's.

"You are."

Emma kept blushing but looked up into her tutor's eyes, seeing the genuine pride there.

"Thank you," Emma said softly.

She started to lean in slowly, but stopped herself after a few inches, looking down. When she raised her eyes, she noticed that Regina looked surprised.

"What did I actually say last night?"

"You sure you want to know?"

Regina nodded quickly, wringing her hands with anticipation. She knew it was going to be embarrassing.

"You said I was pretty. And you told me... You told me that you heard I was 'a really good fuck.'"

"Holy shit," Regina cursed. "I actually said that? You're not joking?"

"I'm not joking," Emma told her. "Were you serious? You said you'd heard it from three different people."

"Yeah, it's true. They kinda raved about you, actually. It was a little gross. I heard some... um... details I didn't really want to know..."

Emma started to smile as she noticed the blush rise to Regina's cheeks.

"So why did you bring that up?" Emma asked.

"I don't know," Regina replied quickly, looking away.

"Seriously. Why?"

"I don't know," she repeated.

At first, Emma decided not to press the issue, but after a few moments of silence, she changed her mind.

"Tell me."

Without looking up, Regina confessed, "I guess I was just wondering if it was true."

Feeling braver, Emma scooted a little closer to her blushing tutor.

"Did you want to find out?"

"I don't know..."

"Do you now?" Emma whispered in her ear.

Regina's palms began to sweat. She looked up at Emma, her face completely red, but didn't speak right away.

"I'm scared to," she finally admitted.

"Don't be scared. I'll be gentle, if you want me to be."

Regina's blush remained bright. Without saying anything, unable to speak, she brushed her fingertips over Emma's hand as a shy but sincere invitation. Emma hesitated only slightly before leaning in a little closer.

"Maybe I can teach you a thing or two this time," she said huskily, earning a nod from Regina.

It was her turn to tutor. With gentle hands, she reached down and lifted the girl's shirt up over her head, exposing her bra and bare stomach. She lifted Regina out of the chair and into her arms and she walked them over to bed, placing Regina down on it softly. Taking her time, she slid the girl's jeans down past her ankles, leaving her panties exposed. Leaving her there for a minute, she removed her own clothes, taking off her underwear slowly and seductively, watching Regina's expression as she removed each garment. The girl's eyes were wide with surprise. Emma climbed over her, one knee between her legs and the other on her left side. As she leaned in, her thigh brushed against Regina's wet center, and Emma smiled, knowing right then that this was what her tutor wanted.

She slid her hands up and down Regina's sides, feeling the softness of her skin, before lifting her up slightly to undo her bra, letting it drop to the floor once it was undone, causing the blush to rise once more to Regina's cheeks.

"Don't be embarrassed," Emma whispered. "You're beautiful."

As she leaned in a little closer, she pressed her thigh up against Regina's core, the friction causing a whimper to slip from the girl's rosy lips. This was all Emma needed to hear to continue. She already had the girl whimpering. Slow and steady hands slid Regina's panties down her thighs, exposing all of her body to Emma's eager eyes. She took a moment to admire the girl's figure before moving away and leaning in, her face between Regina's legs. Her tongue darted out past her lips and licked Regina's center, making her gasp. With a smile, she slid her tongue inside, then swirled it around her clit, making Regina moan.

"Emma," she gasped, grabbing at the girl's shoulders.

Emma leaned up and whispered in her ear.

"Do you want me to try with my fingers?"

Regina nodded desperately and grasped to pull her closer.

Emma moved up and hovered over Regina's lips as she slipped a finger into her, listening to the girl's moans with each thrust. As she thrust in, she let her lips brush against Regina's.


	12. Out of Her League

"They weren't kidding," Regina said, after climaxing and catching her breath.

"Huh?"

"About you, in bed."

"Oh."

Emma was blushing, but even though she was embarrassed, she didn't pull away. Her lips hovered over Regina's, something magnetic holding them close as their bodies stayed pressed together.

"Are you sure that was okay?" Emma asked, wanting to confirm she'd done all right by her beautiful tutor.

In a way, she was intimidated by Regina - her brains, her beauty - and found herself unable to calm her nerves. Even now, as the young woman lay naked in her arms, she felt the strange pull of anxiety choking her and threatening to make her voice shake.  _So out of my league,_ she'd been thinking to herself, unable to stop the thoughts from taking her over her mind.  _I'm too stupid for her._

"It was... It was great, Emma." When the girl bit her lip and didn't say anything, Regina smiled and said, "It's sexy when you do that."

"Do what?" Emma asked, startled by the comment.

"When you bite your lip like that."

"You really think it's sexy?"

"Yeah, I do."

"I'm glad," Emma said, "because I feel like an idiot right now."

"What? Why?"

"Because you're... You're..."

"I'm what?"

Regina started to sit up, her brow furrowed, covered in small beads of sweat from their previous... 'adventure.'

"You're just too good for me, and I feel bad. I feel like I wasted your time."

"What are you talking about, Emma?"

"I'm an dunce, Regina. My brain is a pile of mush, I can barely pass my classes... and you're gorgeous, and intelligent, and articulate, and-"

"Stop. You're not a dunce," Regina countered. Then, nervously, she said, "Come here."

Regina laid back against the pillow, gently pulling Emma with her, keeping their bodies pressed together. At first, Emma's muscles were tensed - unsure - and she resisted, but when Regina didn't let go, she relaxed into the position.

"I feel like my ADHD owns me, 'Gina. I feel like I can't accomplish anything," Emma confessed. "Without you, I mean. With your help, I could pass anything. You're brilliant."

"You did the work on your own, Emma. I just told you what was working and what wasn't, and helped you learn the concepts you struggled with. The effort was all yours, as was the outcome of your hard work. You deserve the grades you've been getting on these assignments. You've worked hard."

"Let's not talk about school," Emma sighed, shutting her eyes.

Before she could catch herself, she was yawning. When Regina saw this, she giggled. As soon as she heard the noise, she let out a little gasp, and her hand covered her own mouth.

"Sorry," she muttered. "It's just a little funny. You should sleep, though. I have class in the morning, anyway. I should get going."

As Regina started to shift and sit up, Emma froze and didn't move out of the way.

"Wait," Emma said, grasping for the words. "You could... You could stay, you know..."

"What?"

"You could stay with me tonight."

Regina's eyes widened, but she relaxed back against the pillows.

"Actually," she said, "that would be kind of nice."

When Emma seemed as though she was going to stay stuck in her position, Regina gently tugged her down and threaded her fingers through the girl's blonde hair.

"Rest, then," Regina offered, stroking Emma's hair.

With slight reluctance, Emma eased herself against Regina and let her head rest on the girl's shoulder.

Regina woke in the middle of the night to the sound of Emma snoring softly in her ear. As she started to fall back to sleep, she thought about their encounter and found herself blushing and her face growing warm. She shut her eyes and imagined Emma's fingers moving in an out of her, and the heat spread between her legs, until her brow was once more covered in sweat.

"Emma?" she finally whispered.

When Emma jerked awake, Regina was startled, but she kept her arms wrapped around the blonde and held her close.

"What?" Emma gasped. "What's up? Are you okay? Should I get off?"

Emma tried to roll away, but Regina tightened her grip.

"No, I'm fine. I just... Emma..."

"What, hun? What's going on?"

"Will you do it again?"

The two blushed in unison as Emma, comprehending the request, mustered all of her bravery to lean in and kiss the girl's tender lips.

"If you want."

They made love again (and again), until Regina was exhausted.

"Was that okay?" Emma asked again, looking nervous once more.

"Emma," Regina whispered softly. "Shh."

Their bodies curled together as they fell asleep, both of them breathing heavily as the pace of their heartbeats slowed.

That morning, Emma woke first and managed to get out of bed without waking the sleeping beauty resting beneath her. Emma showered quickly, knowing they had little time to get ready and have breakfast before Regina's class. When she was done, she woke the girl by gently shaking her shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, shit. I gotta go get my stuff."

"No, wait. I have an extra toothbrush. Wear some of my clothes."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course. I have some nicer stuff you might like. I know this might surprise you, but I own more than T-shirts."

With a grin, Emma went through her closet and found a few button-up shirts which she held up on display for Regina to choose from. The brunette decided on a blue one and hurried to the shower. Once they were both finished getting ready, Emma looked the girl over and smiled.

"You look beautiful. You should keep that."

"Thank you. I couldn't take your stuff, though."

"No, really. It looks better on you."

"I seriously doubt that."

"Come on," Emma said. "Let's go. We should get some breakfast before you have to get to class."

After breakfast, Emma walked the beautiful girl to her classroom. Outside the door, she stood awkwardly in front of Regina and bit her lip.

"Don't do that," Regina laughed quietly. "You're going to turn me on."

With a blush, Emma said, "Have a good class, okay? I'll see you later?"

"Sure."

Emma wasn't sure whether to kiss the girl or not. What did Regina want, anyway? Something about the girl pulled her closer, captivated her and held her in an iron vice, binding them together. As Regina disappeared into the classroom, Emma found herself wishing for the kiss she hadn't given.


	13. Aching

When Emma's phone buzzed, her heart started to race.

' **Thanks for last night. -Mills'**

 _She's thanking me?_ Emma was thinking.  _What does that even mean?_ Her first thought was, 'Anytime,' but she refrained from extending the invitation.

' **No problem. - Em'**

' **I didn't realize it could be like that. - Mills'**

' **Like what? - Em'**

' **So good. - Mills'**

Emma couldn't stop the smile that crept over her lips. Apparently, Regina had really enjoyed it, and that made Emma ecstatic.

' **Glad it was okay. - Em'**

Emma waited for the next text as she sat in the hallway before class, but it didn't come until she was anxiously fidgeting in her seat, barely listening to the professor give the lecture. When her phone finally did go off, she jumped in her seat, just enough for a few students beside her to notice and roll their eyes. Pulling out her phone in the middle of class was typical of Emma Swan.

' **Do you need help with homework tonight? - Mills'**

Her palms started to sweat. She didn't have any homework due the next day. Desperately, she tried to think of something to work on.  _The project!_ Silently, she thanked whatever gods existed for the presence of the strictly-graded project that was due at the end of the month.

' **That would be great. - Em'**

' **Should I be there at six?' - Mills'**

' **Sounds good. - Em'**

As the teacher rambled on, Emma thought about what she might say, what she might do, but couldn't come up with a solid plan. She supposed it would depend on Regina, which made her nervous. Not knowing what to expect heightened her anxiety, as her thoughts drifted off to the encounter with her tutor the previous night. This continued until the teacher noticed and promptly asked her leave.

Back at her dorm room, she tore her books out of her backpack and hurled them at the wall, watching as the pages fell open and the books crashed to the floor.

"FUCK!" she screamed, kicking her chair across the room. Her anger refused to subside, so she decided on skipping dinner, not wanting to deal with her friends or the crowds in the dining hall. Even though she was hungry, she couldn't stand to be around people. When Regina knocked on the door exactly at six o'clock, Emma jumped up off the bed and hurried to the door.

"Hey," she said casually, holding the door open as the brunette walked in and put her things down beside the desk.

"Hey, Emma," Regina greeted her with a smile, awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "How's it going?"

"Eh," Emma started, pushing a hand through her hair. "Kinda shitty. PLEASE don't kill me, but I got kicked out of class again."

"Emma! Why?"

"I was texting, and then I just kind of... zoned out..."

"Did you take your meds this morning?"

"Um... No..."

"Emma! What the Hell? I thought you wanted to do well. How are you supposed to pass if you're not even there for the lectures?"

"I don't know, okay?" Emma snapped. "I'm sorry."

Seeing just how disappointed Emma looked, Regina took a step forward, reached up, and tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear.

"What was so important that you had to text during class?"

"You."

The two stood silently until Emma couldn't stand it anymore.

"I just wanted to know if you were coming over so I could plan for later."

"You could have done it after class."

"You sound like my mom."

"Emma," Regina sighed. "Please. I just want you to pass."

"I want to pass, too. I really am sorry..."

"I know."

"I'll take my pills tomorrow, okay? I promise. I just forgot. Look, I'll put a sticky note on the door so I'll see it before I leave the room and won't be able to forget."

Emma hurried to do this, scribbling a note to herself and sticking it on the door.

"Good." When Emma was silent, Regina continued, "I care about you, Emma."

"I care about you, too. It sucks that I can't do anything for you. You don't need my help with anything."

"Well..."

"Well, what?"

"Well, I could use some more help with my... um... skills... in bed..."

Eyes going wide, Emma sat down in one of her chairs and looked up at the brunette, trying to read her expression.  _I'm just practice._ Emma shut her eyes, just for a moment, and swallowed her disappointment. What was she supposed to say? No?

"Yeah. Sure."

As far as Emma could tell, Regina looked all business, so she bottled her feelings and played along.

"Got your eye on a pretty lady, Miss Mills?"

"First of all," Regina started, "that's none of your business. Second of all, yes, actually, I do."

Emma's heart sank like a ship split in half.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"No, it's okay. I'm sorry. That was kind of bitchy."

"It's fine."

Regina stood awkwardly for a moment before sitting down, which made Emma uncomfortable. Suddenly, things felt strange between them.

"So, me first, then you?" Emma asked.

"Huh?"

"We'll do homework first, and then I'll help you... you know... practice."

With a blush, Regina thanked her and opened her books, turning to Emma as the girl took out her homework.

"Where do you want to start?"

"Well, I have this project due, so I should probably work on that. I don't really know where to start."

Regina, of course, knew exactly where to start, so the two of them began the assignment and worked diligently for the next few hours. After Emma grew weary and anxious, unable to sit still, the brunette slammed a textbook down on the table.

"Dammit, Emma," Regina snapped, but her demeanor changed almost instantly. "Look, why don't we stop for tonight? You're obviously overwhelmed and bored with it, so we can just pick it up where we left off tomorrow, if you want to."

"Alright," Emma said with relief, standing up. "Let's take a walk."

The two walked around the floor of the dorm for a while until they both got bored and decided to head back. Back in the room, as they sat beside each other on the bed, Emma heard Regina's stomach growl.

"You hungry there, bud?" Emma laughed, giving Regina's shoulder a playful shove.

A little embarrassed, Regina nodded her head and told her, "I didn't really have time to eat dinner. I had to get my homework done before I came over."

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry. Let's order pizza or something, yeah? I missed dinner, too. I wasn't really feeling well. I was kind of pissed about getting kicked out of class."

"All right. Sounds good."

"Pepperoni okay?"

With a nod, Regina grabbed her cell phone and ordered a medium for them to split. They both walked outside when the delivery man called to say he was parked in front of the building and Emma carried the pizza back to the dorm. After watching a short movie and finishing most of the pizza, Emma sat beside Regina, feeling too awkward to say anything or initiate their next 'tutoring' session.

"You all right?" Regina asked, touching Emma's shoulder.

The blonde nodded and abruptly pulled her shirt off, exposing the black lace bra beneath. Regina stared, but Emma was averting her eyes and didn't notice.

"Ready to learn a little somethin'?"

Emma forced herself to smile and wink at the girl, but inside, her stomach was turning.

As they repeated the previous night's activities, Emma watched the girl make faces of pleasure as she whimpered and pictured her making love to someone else, feeling the aching in her chest.


	14. Proud of You

They were quiet the next morning.

Emma walked her tutor to class, again missing her opportunity to lock lips with the beautiful brunette. All day, she found her mind flooding with thoughts of the young woman's soft and rosy lips, cliché phrases of infatuation filling her head.

 _What the fuck is up with this?_ Emma spent the day thinking.

Of course, she wasn't used to feeling more than fleeting attraction to anyone, especially not someone she considered a friend. Were they even friends? If anything, their relationship had become more professional. Yes, they'd enjoyed pizza and a movie, but the night had been about exchanging lessons in their specialties. Just as the purpose of their relationship had been established, Emma began to sense more emotion than she wanted to feel.  _I hate this._ She stayed stuck in her thoughts until she left her last class and found Belle waiting for her just outside the door.

"Hey," the girl greeted her with a smile. "What's up?"

"Nothin' much. Just finishing up for the day, about to go back to the dorm and work on some homework."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Wanting to impress Miss Regina?" Belle giggled, giving Emma a playful shove, but Emma just scowled at her, not finding the joke very funny.

"You're hilarious."

"So did you score yet?" Ruby asked, appearing beside Belle.

"Shut up, Ruby! She's not a piece of meat."

"How many times did you have to masturbate last night, buddy? Six? Seven?"

"I'm going to kill you."

"You're not helping, Ruby," Belle scolded the dark-haired girl. "Emma needs support right now, not your ridiculous nagging."

Emma sighed and leaned back against the wall, clutching her books to her chest.

"So, are you seeing her tonight?" Belle asked Emma.

"Belle, come on! Not you too! You just told Ruby to shut up about it!"

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted to know if you could hang out or not. I mean, I know you have homework, but it's been a while since we've been out."

With another sigh, Emma pushed a hand through her hair.

"If you're going to do homework, you can home over until six. Otherwise, I really need to be alone. I have to get this stuff done before Regina gets there so she can check my math."

Ruby laughed, but turned and started to walk away, calling back, "You are such a square now. What happened to you?"

Emma ignored this and looked away as Ruby disappeared into the crowd of students in the hallway.

"Don't mind her," Belle said softly, touching Emma's shoulder. "I think she might just be jealous."

"Jealous? What?"

"Well, it's not like she has anyone."

"I don't either, Belle. She's just my tutor," Emma responded. "Besides, she's crazy about you. Can't you tell that?"

Belle blushed and looked away, not wanting to acknowledge the truth in Emma's words. She knew it was true - it was in the way they looked at each other - but neither of them wanted a serious relationship. At least, that was what they told themselves, and each other.

"That's ridiculous. We're just friends."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"All right, Belle," Emma laughed. "Whatever you say."

The two stood in silence for a few moments before Belle took the girl's hand and led her down the hallway and back to Emma's dorm room.

"I think you'll be able to win her over," Belle said confidently as she flopped down on the bed and laid back against the pillows.

"Get off my bed, punk!" Emma cried, jumping on the twin-sized bed beside the brunette.

"No way, José," Belle giggled. "I live here now."

"You're such a twerp," Emma laughed, shaking her head. "I thought we were gonna do homework."

"You are. Mine's done. I'll be quiet though. I'm just glad to be hanging out with you again. You've kinda been with Regina all the time lately. It's sort of annoying, honestly."

"I'm sorry," Emma said, lowering her head. "I really need to pass, Belle. It's important. I don't want to get kicked out of school. Contrary to popular belief, I actually do care."

"I know, Emma," Belle said, leaning in and kissing her friend's cheek, stroking the girl's hair, "and I'm proud of you."

Emma looked surprised as she turned to look at her friend. As their eyes connected, Belle could see the pain there, understanding her struggle.

"Really?"

"Of course. You've been doing great. I just miss you is all. We used to be so close."

"We're still close, Belle. I'm just busy, and we're hanging out now, aren't we?"

"I guess so. You're going to be working, though."

"It probably won't take me long. I've been getting the hang of it since Regina started helping me. I'm still struggling, but it's a lot easier."

"That's really good, Emma."

Belle watched Emma work for a while, then slowly fell asleep on the bed. She was so completely silent that Emma actually forgot she was there. In fact, she was so focused that it only took her thirty minutes to finish the homework that would have taken her an hour and a half a month ago.

"Done!" Emma cried happily, stirring Belle awake. "Let's go get dinner!"

At the dining hall - without Ruby, that time - they laughed about things completely unrelated to Emma's tutor, which came as a relief. In fact, it took some of the weight off her shoulders, at least for a few short moments. Laughing felt good, and for a while, it helped her forget her frustration.

When five-forty-five rolled around and it was time to go back to the dorm, Emma hugged her friend and left the dining hall, nearly running back to her room so as not to be late. She was there just in time for Regina to knock on the door.

"Hey, kiddo," the brunette said with a smile.

"Ew. Don't call me that."

"Why not? It's cute!"

"I'm not a kid."

"I didn't call you a kid. I called you kiddo."

Regina winked and sat down at the desk, promptly opening her books and encouraging Emma to get to work. Hours later, when Emma still hadn't gotten up for a break, Regina looked over at her and gave another smile.

"You're doing really great, Emma. I'm proud of you."

Having heard that twice in one day, Emma started to believe it.


	15. New Tricks

This time, after learning a few new tricks, Regina didn't stay.

Alone in her bed, Emma felt cold as she shut her eyes and imagined that the girl was beside her. She couldn't stop asking herself,  _What's going on with me?_ She also couldn't stop herself from picking up her phone and typing a new message.

' **I wish you'd stayed. - Em'**

But she didn't send it. Instead, she deleted the text and shut her eyes again, leaving her phone beside her head in case the girl happened to text or call. As she fell asleep, she felt more aching in her chest.

When she woke up, she was hugging her pillow, mumbling indistinct phrases into it, her face scrunched up, showing just how troubled she was. When she found a new text message in her phone, her heart jumped, and she was surprised she hadn't woken up to the noise.

' **Love you. - Belle'**

With a sigh, Emma typed back,  **'Love you too, bud,'** but said nothing else. She didn't make plans for later or ask how the girl was doing. She simply rolled over in bed and went back to sleep, ignoring the rest of the texts and emails from people she didn't care about. Depression compelled her to skip her first class, but she fought the urge and managed to roll out of bed. Luckily, she also just barely remembered to take her medication. Before leaving the room, she gathered the courage to text her tutor.

' **You busy tonight? - Em'**

' **No, why? It's Friday! I figured you'd want to put off your homework until Sunday night. ;) - Mills'**

' **Wanna come over? - Em'**

' **You're not going out? - Mills'**

' **I don't really feel like it. I think Belle and Ruby are, but... I'm just not feeling it. It's fine if you don't want to come over. - Em'**

Emma paused before sending the next text.

' **I just thought I could teach you a few things. - Em'**

' **Yeah? - Mills'**

' **Yeah. ;) We gotta prep you for your lady. - Em'**

' **Shut up, Emma. - Mills'**

With a sigh, Emma slammed the phone down on the desk.  _She's so out of my league,_  Emma was thinking. _Whatever. At least I get to pretend for a while._ It hurt, for reasons Emma couldn't understand, but it was better than nothing. Well... Of that she wasn't so sure. She picked up the phone and typed her next message.

' **Sorry. - Em'**

' **It's okay. I'll see you at six. - Mills'**

A wave of relief crashed over her, but her heart raced.  _What now?_ Anxiously, she hurried to clean the dorm room, knowing she wouldn't have time to tidy up later. After class, Emma had dinner with her friends - including Ruby, who gave her more shit about her non-existent relationship with her tutor - and ate quickly, nearly choking down her food.

"What's the rush, Em?" Belle asked with a playful smile.

"I'm meeting 'Gina at six."

"'Gina?" Ruby asked, giggling.

"Shut  _up,_ Ruby," Emma snapped, standing up from the table. "I'm out."

Before Belle or Ruby could say anything else, Emma was gone.

When Regina got to Emma's room, the blonde couldn't help but smile as the brunette walked through the door.

"So what's the plan?" Regina asked, sitting down on the bed.

"I figured I'd show you a few things."

"You know," the brunette started, "maybe we should just... hang out."

"W-What?" Emma stuttered, blinking a few times as she stared at her tutor.

"I don't know. I just figure maybe we should do something other than... teach each other."

"I'm sorry. Am I messing things up?"

"No! Emma, really, it's okay. I just feel badly, asking you to do this."

"Well, it's kinda late now."

Regina bit her lip and looked away. It stung.

"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean for it to be like this. It just kind of happened. I never meant to hurt you. I just feel like I don't know anything, you know? I'm so inexperienced. I feel like such a prude. I just wanted to... to..."

"I'm not hurt," Emma lied quickly. "It's just kind of weird that you picked me to teach you all this."

"Why? You're apparently the best fuck in the school."

"Uh... thanks?"

"Okay," Regina said. "It's not that. I just trust you. I trust you more than I trust anyone else, and something just makes me feel like... like you won't hurt me."

"I won't," Emma said quickly. Without stopping herself, she extended her hand and touched Regina's cheek, and repeated, "I won't."

Not letting her inhibitions hold her back, Regina wrapped her arms around Emma and rested her cheek on the girl's shoulder.

"Thank you, Emma."

"I'd help you with anything, Regina. Anything at all. You've done so much for me, and I'd do anything to pay you back."

"You don't need to pay me back. I do it because I care about you."

At first, Emma didn't know what to say. Instead, she fought the butterflies in her stomach and kissed Regina's cheek softly, holding her close.

"I'm glad you're here," Emma told her, kissing her cheek again.

When she realized just how intimate the gesture was, Emma pulled away, but Regina stopped her, pulling her back into the hug.

"Can we just hang out tonight?" Regina asked softly, her breath warm against Emma's cheek.

"Of course. What do you want to do?"

Emma wanted to kiss her, to hold her, to lay beside her on the bed without letting go. She couldn't explain it, but the casualness of the sex stung her heart.

"Let's watch a movie. That was fun last time. It'll be nice just to relax for a while."

They picked one together and sat down on the bed. As the film started to play, Emma found Regina's arm wrapped around her shoulders as the girl leaned against her. Surprised, Emma wrapped her arm around Regina in return, shutting her eyes to savor the moment. Eventually, Regina's head was on Emma's shoulder.

Emma absently stroked the girl's dark hair and closed her eyes until she was sure the girl was asleep. Once she was, Emma lifted her into her arms and repositioned her on the bed so she was laying down. She laid down beside her tutor, eyes sparkling with desire. Instead of waking her, she simply ran her fingers through the girl's hair and gently kissed her forehead. She was quiet for an hour or so before falling asleep herself, arms wrapped around the beautiful brunette.


	16. The Happy Couple

"Emma?"

The girl stirred awake and looked at her tutor.

"What's up, babe?"

 _Babe?_ Mentally, Emma slapped herself, but Regina didn't seem to flinch. A small smile played at the brunette's lips.

"I was thinking," she started.

"Why are you thinking?" Emma groaned. "It's the middle of the night."

"I woke up. Just listen. I just feel like we need to talk."

_Uh oh._

"Okay..."

"For all the times you've... you know... pleased me... you've never let me please you."

"Yeah, so?"

"So, maybe I want to."

"You don't have to do that."

"You said you could teach me a few things. Don't you think that part's important?"

Emma thought about this, then said, "I guess so."

"Then show me how. Show me how to give it, not just take it."

Blushing, Emma leaned in and kissed the girl's lips.

"Okay," she whispered, rolling over until she was on top of Regina.

Not to Emma's surprise, Regina was a natural.

* * *

"That," she gasped, "what the best fuck I've ever had."

 _Probably shouldn't have said that,_ Emma thought to herself, biting her lip. She was still recovering from the shock of the moment. It had been more than she ever dreamed of.

"You're so full of shit," Regina laughed.

"I'm not. I mean it. You're a natural. You don't need me to teach you anything but a few new moves. You know exactly what you're doing."

"I really don't."

"Listen, Regina. I'm serious."

The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes and rested her head on the pillow, laying on her side to face Emma. When Regina didn't say anything, Emma leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"Stop worrying about it. I promise you, you're great in bed. You are going to blow your lady's mind."

She felt the sting of her own words, but Emma refused to break her gaze. She resolved to support Regina, even if it left her in pain. Emma decided that she'd rather stay friends than lose her all together. Though her heart ached, she didn't pull away. When she looked at Regina, the girl was staring at the posters on the wall.

"I'm scared I'm not good enough."

"She'll be more than lucky to have you."

"I seriously doubt that."

"Regina."

"What?"

"I mean it."

Emma could just barely see her face, but the moonlight shining through the shades splashed on their faces just enough for them to see each other's eyes. Slowly, with slight hesitation, Regina leaned in and pressed her lips to Emma's.

By the morning, they were entangled in each other. As soon as Emma opened her eyes, she placed soft kisses on the girl's cheeks.

"Hey," she whispered. "Regina. Wake up."

When the girl didn't stir, Emma rolled on top of her, positioned her hands over Regina's sides, and promptly began to tickle her, until the girl was jerked awake, nearly crying from laughter.

"Emma, STOP IT!" she screamed, trying to shove the girl away. "Get off me!"

"Time to get up, sleepyhead!"

Grinning, Emma gradually stopped torturing the poor girl and leaned in until her lips were hovering over Regina's.

"Good morning," she whispered.

Without responding, Regina pressed their lips together and entangled her fingers in Emma's long blonde hair.  _What is she doing to me?_  Emma screamed in her mind, but she couldn't pull away. Instead, she deepened the kiss.

The next morning, per usual, they ate breakfast together, and Emma walked her tutor to class.

"See you later?" Emma asked before Regina turned around to enter the classroom.

Emma tried but failed to hide the hopeful light illuminating her own eyes. As casual as their relationship was - even with the sex - Emma couldn't stand to watch her walk away. Something about Regina prevented her from ever being bored in her presence.

"Wanna get lunch?"

"Sure," Emma said with a smile, handing the girl's books back to her. (She'd been carrying them.) "See you around one?"

"Yep! See ya later, Em."

As she watched her walk away, Emma's gaze couldn't help but fall from Regina's back to her ass as she watched the girl's hips sway with each step. When the classroom door shut loudly, Emma winced.

Lunch was fairly casual, and they mostly talked about school, at least until Emma's friends showed up to crash the quiet party.

"Well, well, well," Ruby started. "If it isn't the happy couple."

Emma stood up instantly.

"Shut up, Ruby. I mean it."

"Whatever, Emma. I don't even know who the fuck you are anymore."

Ruby turned to leave, but Belle lingered beside Emma.

"I'm sorry, Em. I don't know what's gotten into her."

"I told you what's gotten into her," Emma snapped. "Just tell her you love her already before I kill her for being such an asshole. And you can tell her from me that if she says one more thing to Regina, I  _will_ hurt her."

With wide eyes, Regina watched the conversation but said nothing, waiting for Belle to leave and Emma to sit back down. When she did, her face was red, and her palms were sweating.

"What just happened?" Regina asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"

When Regina's hand reached out and touched hers, Emma jumped.

"Yeah. Fine."

"What just happened?"

"Ruby thinks we're together."

Emma didn't notice, since her heart was busy sinking, that Regina's gaze had dropped to the table.

"Oh."

"Let's get out of here."

"Alright," Regina agreed, grabbing her tray and standing up. "Do you want to hang out in my room this time?"

With a nod, Emma left the dining hall in silence.

Once in Regina's dorm room, Emma stood in awe and looked around at the perfectly tidy setup.

"Your room is spotless," she commented, dumbly staring at the neatly-made bed and impeccably clean desk.

"Usually it is, yeah. Clutter makes me anxious."

With a shrug, Regina sat down on her bed and watched as Emma sat down in a chair across from her.

"You must hate my room then."

"What are you talking about? Your room is perfectly clean."

"Not like this, it's not."

Regina laughed and reached for Emma's hand, tugging her out of the seat and over to the bed. She kept pulling until they had both fallen backwards and Emma was on top of her.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Regina said softly, kissing Emma's cheek.

 _So many mixed signals,_ Emma silently groaned, shutting her eyes as she rolled onto her side next to Regina.

"It's fine. She's just a bitch sometimes. I think she's just jealous because... Well... She's just jealous."

"Of what?"

"Nevermind. It's nothing. Anyway, what do you want to do?"

"Actually," Regina started with a mischievous grin, "I want to beat your ass at Disney Monopoly."


	17. How to Kiss a Girl

Of course, Regina won.

After the game, as Emma gathered her things, Regina grabbed her arm.

"Hang on a minute. Don't go. Stay the night. It's late. I don't want you walking back by yourself."

"I'll be fine," Emma said, forcing a laugh. "You worry too much."

"I know." Regina smiled weakly and added, "Just stay."

Part of Emma wanted to snap, the scream, to tell the girl how she felt and that their relationship was killing her, but she kept her mouth shut about the subject and sat back down on the bed.

"All right," she conceded. "I'm not tired though."

Regina leaned in and whispered in Emma's ear, "Me either."

Understanding the hint but hesitating to give in, Emma froze. Again, she was tempted to snap.  _Don't you get it?_ she wanted to ask.  _This is killing me._ But she said nothing. Instead, she stripped down to nothing and climbed under the covers, taking Regina's hands and showing her exactly where to put them.

* * *

"Are you ever going to tell me who this mystery girl is?" Emma asked as she leaned back and folded her hands behind her head.

"Probably not, no. Especially if you keep pressuring me. You're kind of being an asshole."

"I'm just curious as to who the lucky recipient of my lessons will be. Besides, what if it's someone I've fucked?"

"That's gross, Emma," Regina laughed. "Have you really gotten around that much?"

"Yeah, kind of. What can I say? I'm a beast in the sack."

"You are," the girl agreed, nodding her head, "but that doesn't mean I'm telling you who it is."

"Have you at least made a move on this girl yet?"

"No. I mean, not really."

"She doesn't know you like her?"

"No. I'm not her type. I'm too bookish."

"You're perfect, Regina. You can have anyone."

"That's not true."

"Oh, hush. Just trust me on this. You're a babe. Anyone would kill to have a girl like you."

"A girl  _like_ me, but not me."

"What's making you say that?"

"I just don't know what I'm doing. I don't know how to tell her. I  _can't_  tell her, really. We don't have that kind of relationship."

"You're friends?"

"Yes. I mean, I think so."

"You think so?"

"It's complicated. We have a very... specific relationship."

"Just make a move, kid. You'll surprise yourself."

"I'm serious. I'm not her type, and our relationship isn't like that. She also gives me the impression she's not interested in being in a serious, monogamous relationship."

"Monogamous?"

Regina rolled her eyes.

"With only one person."

"Oh."

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell her. I don't want to ruin whatever friendship we might have."

"What if you won't? What if it's what she wants too, but she just hasn't told you?"

Of course, this got Emma thinking about her own feelings. A pang of jealousy sparked within her as she imagined her 'lessons' being practiced by her tutor on someone else.

"That's ridiculous."

"How do you even know you're not her type?"

"I'm a nerd, Emma. Let's face it. I'm  _never_ going to get a girlfriend," Regina whined. "It's not that I just want a girlfriend, though. I really don't even have time for a relationship. It's just... This girl, Emma... I can't get her out of my head. She's fucking me up."

"You're doing her a disservice by assuming what she does and doesn't want."

Thinking this over, Regina responded, "I guess you're right," but didn't say anything else.

"Your kisses need a little work, though," Emma said, obviously teasing.

"Teach me how, then."

Emma blinked.

"Well, I was just kidding, but I guess... I mean... Just come here."

Heart pounding, Regina leaned in. They'd kissed so many times before, but suddenly, there was pressure to perform perfectly, not to miss a beat.

"All right," Emma whispered. "You wanna move in slow."

"Slow _ly_."

"Shut up, Regina," Emma warned playfully. "Just come here. Lean in  _slowly_ but don't kiss me yet."

Regina obeyed, letting her lips hover over Emma's until she could nearly taste her.

"Shut your eyes. Breathe in, then out. Slowly."

The brunette shut her eyes and took the breath, her hands starting to shake. When Emma felt this, she took the girl's hand and held it gently in her own, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

"Now kiss me, but you wanna move your lips slowly, until she's begging for it."

Before she did this, Regina asked, "How do I know when she's... um... begging for it?"

"If you're doing it right, she could tangle her fingers in your hair, cup your face in her hands, pull you closer, start breathing harder, or, if you're  _really_ good, she'll whimper."

Emma watched as blood flooded the girl's face, making her cheeks rosy and warm. Regina kissed her - slowly, as instructed - until Emma did exactly as she said, and pulled her closer gently by slipping her hand behind the girl's head and threading her finger's through her dark locks of hair. The kiss didn't stop until Emma took control and Regina's started to whimper, laying back on the bed and pulling Emma on top of her.

Grinning, Emma said, "You shouldn't have let me take over. Don't be scared to take control."

"I'm sorry," Regina said, shame in her voice.

"No, don't be. You were great. Just... take your time. Don't let yourself get flustered. Hold your ground, if you want control."

"How do I  _not_ get flustered?"

"You breathe. Breathe slowly," Emma instructed her. "But you don't have to take control, you know. It's okay to be submissive, too."

"You make it sound like S and M."

Both of them laughed as Emma shook her head.

"Pervert."

"You're not into that?"

"I might be."

Emma grinned, but Regina didn't buy her story.

"Bullshit."

"Regina," the blonde started slowly, "I'm into a little bit of everything."

This made the girl blush, but she didn't look away. With a wink, Emma leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the girl's lips until she pulled away again. As Emma watched the brunette's eyes light up, she felt her heart throb.  _She's too perfect,_ she told herself.  _She's out of your league, Emma. Just let it go. It's just sex. Just sex._


	18. Show Me

"How did you get so good at this?"

"Natural ability, I suppose," Emma teased, "and, unfortunately, a lot of practice."

While Regina was looking at Emma, she imagined all the other girls she'd slept with and winced at the thought. Something about it didn't sit right with her. It felt strange to be sleeping with someone who had so much experience.

"I'm bad at this," Regina sighed, lowering her head.

"You're not. Just because you gave in doesn't mean you're bad at this. It just means I'm too sexy to resist."

Emma was grinning, but inside, her heart was melting as she fought to keep up the facade. The sound of Regina's laughter stirred the butterflies in her stomach until she felt the pull of the girl's smile and couldn't help but kiss her.

"You've got this," Emma encouraged her. "Show me."

Regina pulled Emma closer until she was positioned between her legs and kissed her again, slowly, attempting to follow all of Emma's instructions. She broke the kiss a few times to take a breath, but for the most part, their lips were glued together. As Emma dropped her lips to Regina's neck, the girl caught the whimper in her throat before it escaped and thanked whatever gods existed that it hadn't. Sucking on the skin there, Emma slid her hand over Regina's breast. At last, the brunette's desperate moan slipped out and she used Emma's belt loops to pull their hips closer together and breathed out her name.

But when Emma moved her lips up to kiss Regina's cheek, she felt warm, wet skin there. Sensing that Emma had realized this, Regina's hands flew up to cover her mouth and suffocate the noise of her crying.

"What's the matter, honey? Did I hurt you?" Emma asked anxiously, wiping the tears away and looking into her eyes with concern.

"It's you," Regina sobbed. "Emma, it's you."

"Oh, God," Emma breathed, shoving a hand through her hair to get it out of her face. "Regina..."

"I'm s-so s-sorry."

"Oh, Baby... Sweetheart..."

Emma pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her cheek over and over until Regina's tears stopped.

"Please don't hate me."

"Regina," Emma said softly. "Don't you get it? I want you, too. I just can't believe that  _you_  want  _me_."

"I do, though," Regina sobbed. "I really do. I can't think about anything else. I'm struggling in my classes. I can't pay attention. I didn't want to tell you, because I thought you'd be disappointed in me."

"I could never be disappointed in you, 'Gina. I'm soproud of you. I admire you so,  _so_ much."

More kisses freckled Regina's cheeks as Emma held her close.

"Do you want to know a secret?" Emma asked, to which Regina nodded. "I've wanted you since the moment I met you. Every time you showed up at my door, my heart skipped a beat. Several beats. Stopped completely, actually. Actually, it was only jump-started when you sat down next to me, and by then, it was nearly bursting out of my chest."

"Oh, Emma..."

"Wait," Emma stopped her. "If you wanted this, why did you pretend just to want lessons from me? Why did you pretend to like someone else? You didn't have to lie to me."

"I never lied to you, and I never said I liked someone else. I just said I liked someone. And after the first time, I couldn't get enough of you. I wanted to please you, but I wanted to learn how."

"You didn't need to learn how. You were fantastic."

"Am I really the best fuck you've ever had?"

"Absolutely. I've never come that hard in my life," Emma told her bluntly.

Of course, this brought another blush to the brunette's cheeks as she averted her eyes.

"No, don't," Emma said, lifting the girl's chin and looking into her eyes. "Let me see those pretty eyes."

Regina gazed up to find Emma looking love-struck, and for the first time, she recognized the expression on her face.

"I've fallen for you," Regina whispered.

"Me too. I can't believe you have, but I'm glad I've been so blessed."

"I didn't know you believed in God."

"I do now. You're obviously not from this world."

"Oh, shut up," Regina said, shoving her as she laughed.

"I mean it, though. There's only one way I could possibly get lucky enough to have you in my arms, for real."

After a moment of silence, Regina asked, "So what does this mean?"

"That depends on your answer. Do you want to go steady, Miss Mills?"

"I would love nothing more, Miss Swan."

"Good, because I've never wanted anything the way I want you."

"Are you sure? I'm really not your type, am I?"

"You're everything a girl could ever hope for," Emma answered. "Everything  _I_ could ever hope for."

"Does this mean you'll walk me to class every morning?"

"Of course, honey. I would have done that anyway. I like carrying your books for you."

"So why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you I'm falling for you? Because you're way out of my league. Because I thought you just wanted... you know... to learn stuff."

"I do want to learn stuff, but I don't want to use it on anyone but you."

"You promise?"

"I promise."


	19. A Brutal Reaction

Emma kissed her until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

In the morning, they had breakfast as usual, and Emma walked her lady to class.

"Have a good day, okay? I'll see you tonight?"

Regina nodded with a smile and leaned in to kiss Emma's cheek. She was far from ashamed to be seen with the beautiful blonde. In fact, she felt a strange sense of pride at being able to call herself Emma's, and Emma felt the same way.

That night, the two met Belle and Ruby at the dining hall.

As soon as she saw them, Emma approached, saying, "Ladies, I would like to introduce you to my beautiful girlfriend, Regina."

She couldn't wipe the smirk off her face, and Regina couldn't get rid of the blush that covered her cheeks.

"Emma," Regina muttered, "don't make a big deal out of it."

But the blonde was ecstatic. Unfortunately, only one of her friends took this to heart.

"I fucking knew it," Ruby spat, jumping up from the table and glaring at Emma.

"What the Hell, Ruby! Why would that bother you? You should be happy for me."

"Because you two are disgusting and were both completely in denial."

"Well we're not now," Regina chimed in, sitting down beside Belle at the table and setting her tray down.

"Shut up, Regina," Ruby warned. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Say that one more fucking time," Emma growled, shoving the girl backwards so that she stumbled and had to catch herself on the empty chair behind her.

"I told her to shut up, Emma. What of it?"

Emma's fist cocked back, but she didn't strike. Instead, she hesitated, then dropped her hand to her side and looked over at her other friend.

"I'm really sorry, Belle, but I have to tell her. She's losing her mind right now, because of you."

"Emma, don't!"

"Ruby," Emma started, stepping closer to the girl, "Belle is in love with you."

"B-Bullshit," Ruby stuttered, looking to Belle, who was covering her face with her hands.

"No, it's not. Tell her, Belle."

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed, pulling her hands away from her face. "I couldn't tell you. You said you didn't want to mess up our friendship, and that you didn't want to be in a relationship, anyway. I didn't want to ruin things. I just wanted you to be happy."

"I'm not happy," Ruby said softly, sitting back down across from Belle. "I can't be happy without you."

At first, a look of shock covered Belle's face as she stared at the girl in front of her. They'd both quickly forgotten about Emma and Regina, who were watching quietly and trying to hide their smiles. After a moment, Belle's expression changed, a sudden intensity filling her eyes. Without waiting, Belle reached across the table and grabbed Ruby's face, pulling her closer and crashing their lips together. As soon as their lips connected, Emma and Regina cheered.

"There!" Emma declared. "Much better."

But Ruby and Belle were ignoring her.

Dinner quickly became a double-date as Ruby settled down and shut her mouth. The four of them ate happily, Emma and Regina exchanging looks as they noted the love-sick expressions on the other two women's faces.

"I love you guys," Emma told them, "and I want you to be happy. It's obvious to me that the only way that's going to happen is if you're together."

"When you did become the love doctor, smartass?" Ruby asked playfully, this time without venom in her voice.

Emma gave her shoulder an equally playful shove, then leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"I'm sorry," Ruby said, biting her lip. "I've been such a dick."

"You really have, Ruby, and you were extremely rude to Regina. She's the one who deserves your apology."

Emma looked at Ruby seriously, silently warning her that this was not an option, it was an order. Ruby looked to Regina and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Regina. I just got so jealous..."

"I understand, Ruby," Regina told her, nodding her head, "and it's alright. I forgive you."

"It's really not, but I appreciate you saying that. Honestly, your forgiveness means a lot. I feel really... ashamed now. I don't know what came over me."

"Love, silly. Just love."

Regina was beaming from ear to ear, as was Emma. Then, the tutor did something Emma never would have expected. She got up and put her arms around Ruby, wrapping her in a gentle and sincere hug.

"I'm glad you guys found each other," Regina told them happily, sitting back down beside Belle.

"Well, I mean, we're not togeth-" Ruby started.

"We're not?" Belle interrupted, staring down the object of her affection.

"I mean... Not unless you want to be."

"I do want to be, Ruby. I can't lie to you anymore. It's not fair to either one of us. I just can't hide it." Then, she turned to Emma and said, "I'm glad you opened your big fat mouth, you jerk."

Emma grinned and kissed her friend on the cheek, happy to have been the catalyst for the new stage of her friends' relationship. Emma and Regina finished eating in silence as Belle and Ruby continued to stare longingly into each other's eyes, barely touching their food.

"Alright," Emma said, nodding at Regina, "I think we're gonna head out. You two have a magical night."

The two scowled at Emma, who winked at them, but couldn't hide their smiles.


	20. Wanna Study?

"So... My room?" Regina asked as they left the dining hall.

Emma nodded and held the exit door open for her lover, taking her arm as they left the building and walked back to Regina's dorm. When they got there, Emma held the door again and slapped Regina's ass as the girl walked in front of her, earning a laugh from the brunette as she made her way over to the bed and sat down.

"Wanna study?" Emma asked, sitting down at the desk and opening one of her books without waiting for Regina's response.

But the brunette stood up and stepped behind Emma, then brushed some of Emma's hair out of the way before lowering her lips and kissing the nape of her neck.

"No," she breathed into Emma's ear, biting her earlobe gently until Emma dropped the book.

"But... But we both have exams tomorrow, and... and..."

Emma let out a low moan as Regina kissed her neck again, sucking on the skin there until Emma could feel it bruising and turning red.

"Don't leave marks," Emma protested, but Regina was relentless.

"I don't care."

"I do!"

"Shut up, Emma," Regina laughed, biting down hard until Emma hissed and pulled away.

"Jesus! What's gotten into you?"

Walking around to Emma's front, Regina straddled the girl's hips and looked down into her eyes.

"I'm fucking horny."

Mouth agape, Emma stared, but the angle she was sitting at made it all too easy for her eyes to fall to the cleavage of her lover's breasts, and instantaneously, she forgot all about her homework and the exam she had the next day.

"Come on," Regina urged her. "Fuck me."

At first, Emma was speechless, but she finally found the words.

"As you wish, my queen."

Lifting Regina up as she stood, Emma carried the girl to the bed and tossed her on it, straddling her hips.

"Take your clothes off," Emma ordered, waiting for Regina to strip down to nothing before making the next move.

"Get off of me and I will," Regina laughed, shoving the girl to the side as she wiggled out of her tightly fitting jeans.

Emma then pulled her own clothes off until they were both naked and moved their bodies closer, until their breasts were pressed together.

"Tell me how you want it," Emma whispered huskily in the girl's ear, then waited for a response before moving her hands.

Heart racing, Regina mumbled, "Fingers," then locked their lips and tongues in a passionate flame that Emma was all too eager to ignite.

"You ready?" Emma asked with a grin.

"Shut up and fuck me!" Regina screamed, probably loud enough for their neighbors to hear.

Without another word, Emma reached between her lover's legs and began to rub the girl's most sensitive areas, until she was whimpering. Emma grinned and touched her until the girl came, soaking her fingers. She waited a moment, then leaned in to drag her tongue along Regina's lips. When she pulled away slowly, she felt Regina's heavy, panting breaths and continued to smile.

"You liked that, baby?" Emma asked playfully, stroking the girl's hair away from her sweating brow.

But something in Regina's eyes was burning.

"Do it again," she breathed, crashing their lips together and biting down as Emma kissed her.

"What? Now? What about our-"

"Emma!" Regina screamed, shoving the girl away with great force until she was kneeling over her. " _Please_ just do it."

Without more hesitation, Emma moved down and put her lips between her lover's legs and slid her tongue over Regina's clit over and over again, until the girl was thrashing underneath her. Emma pressed down on the brunette's hips to hold her still until Regina finally came again, screaming her name.

Watching as the girl squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip, Emma felt her own wetness grow between her legs.

"Your turn," Regina breathed as she opened her eyes and saw the lust in Emma's eyes.

She grabbed the girl's shoulders and rolled Emma over until she was between the blonde's legs. Not waiting for the Emma's permission, Regina slipped two fingers easily inside her core and felt her wetness cover her fingers.

"I love you, Emma," Regina whispered, pumping her fingers in and out.

It was Emma's turn to thrash and squirm under her lover's touch, and she could barely hold herself still as her thighs shook and she came from her lover's steady thrusts.

When Emma finally caught her breath, she whispered back, "I love you, too," and wiped the sweat from her own forehead.

Regina rolled over onto her side and draped her arm over Emma's bare waist, feeling the softness of her skin under her fingertips.

"I love when you get so soaked for me without me even touching you. You were so ready for me..."

"Don't brag," Emma whined, sticking her lower lip out as she pouted.

"It's okay, baby," Regina cooed with a wink. "It's okay to want me."

"I do want you," the blonde breathed, looking over into her lover's eyes. "I always want you."

"Well you wanted your damn homework tonight! I bet you're glad we skipped it though."

The brunette was grinning.

"I am. Of course I am. I never regret fucking you."

"Good. Because I never regret fucking you, either, and I  _always_ want to."


	21. No Regrets

Needless to say, the following day, Emma performed poorly on her exam. Regina, on the other hand, had been studying steadily over the past week, and, regardless of skipping her planned study session the night before, produced more than acceptable results.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Emma screamed, slamming her exam down on her desk a few days later, once she'd received her final grade.

"I'm sorry," Regina said softly, slightly stunned by the harshness in her lover's words as she took a few steps away.

"It's fine," Emma snapped, violently flipping her chair, the noise resonating out into the hallway.

"Emma..." Regina tried, but was cut off by a knock at the door a moment later.

"Hey, Emma?" a voice called out.

"Shit," Emma cursed, "It's the dorm hall director." Wanting to kick the chair again but refraining from giving into her impulse, she answered the door as calmly as possible, asking as nonchalantly as possible, "What's up?"

"I was out in the hallway, and I heard a really big bang. Is everything alright?"

"I... Um... Yeah. Chair fell over. Sorry."

"Uh... Okay... Well... Try to keep it down, alright? It's getting late and I know some kids are trying to study or sleep."

"Sorry," Emma repeated, nodding her head before shutting the door as the hall director walked away. Turning to Regina, she mumbled, "Fuck," and grabbed the chair off the floor, taking a seat in it and holding her head in her hands. "I'm in such deep shit. I really couldn't afford to do this poorly."

"Emma," Regina sighed, touching the girl's shoulder. "It's just a C. It's  _way_ better than you were doing before. It's still a big improvement. It's not going to impact your grade that much. You'll probably still end up with a B minus."

"I don't want a fucking B minus! I wanted  _at least_ a B. I can't risk failing out. They have to see that I'm improving, or they're going to kick me out."

"They won't kick you out with a B minus, Emma. Depending on how you do on the final, you might even still be able to make a B."

With a sigh, Emma raised her fist to slam it down on the desk, then lifted her head and cursed again, catching herself before making another loud noise she'd be chastised for again.

"It's gonna be okay," Regina said softly, kneeling beside the girl and tucking some of Emma's hair behind her ear. "Please don't regret that night."

With another sigh, Emma answered, "I don't. I just wish I'd studied before that, like you did. I was just so bogged down with work because of that essay and the math homework. History just kind of came in last, you know?"

"I know, honey."

Regina placed a kiss on the girl's cheek, earning just a small smile from her lover.

"There we go," Regina said with a grin. "There's that pretty smile I missed so much."

"Oh, shut up, you sap," Emma laughed, playfully shoving the girl away before shaking her head.

"No way," Regina teased. "Never. You're beautiful, and I'll never stop telling you that."

"I am no such thing, and lying doesn't become you, so knock it off."

Emma began to look sullen as she glanced away.

"I don't lie," the brunette said sternly, "so don't say that."

"Fine," Emma mumbled, "but you're crazy for thinking that."

"Just stop it, okay? Quit arguing with me. I think you're beautiful, and I have a right to my own opinion. You're being a brat about it."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Let's just study, okay? We'll make sure you're ready for your math exam tomorrow."

"Alright."

Emma reluctantly scooted closer to the desk and opened the textbook in front of her as Regina sat beside her.

Seeing the frustration in her lover's face, the brunette encouraged her softly, "You can do this, Emma."

"This chapter is really hard, Regina. I don't get it at all."

"I'll explain it."

"I don't think I can do this."

"Don't be so negative. You need to go at this with a positive attitude, okay? You have to attack this with everything you've got or you're not going to do well. You know how important this is."

"Yeah, I know," Emma sighed, dropping her head onto the open textbook.

Gently, Regina lifted Emma's head and kissed her cheek, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

For a while, Emma stayed focused but still frustrated, listening intently to Regina's explanations of everything she didn't understand, which, unfortunately for both of them, was pretty much everything.

"Look, it's fine. I'll try some problems on my own so you can get some of your own work done, alright?"

Reluctantly, Regina agreed and opened her own textbook, working quickly through each assignment she was given as Emma struggled with her own.

Finally, Emma snapped, her forehead sweating from frustration, and said, "This is bullshit. 'Frequency distributions are where discrete data values are repeated with various frequencies, or where pre-established intervals of possible values are assigned frequencies corresponding to the numbers of data in the intervals.' What the  _fuck_  does that even mean?!"

"Okay, calm down," Regina said softly, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulder once more. "I'll explain it. Just relax. You'll get through it, okay? I promise."

"This is  _bullshit_!"

"Emma! Stop it! If you'd just slow down and listen, I could explain it."

"Fine."

"Can you not be so rude?"

Emma's lips parted slightly, realizing how right the other girl was, and finally, she said, "I'm sorry," then bit her lower lip.

After a moment of looking into her lover's face, Regina sighed and kissed the girl's forehead.

"It's alright. I know you're frustrated and stressed. Just try to be cool, okay?"

"I'll try," Emma promised, gripping her pencil tightly until she nearly snapped it in half.

"Good. Now, let's get started."


	22. The Theatre

"I... I can't believe this, but I... I think I actually did well! At least, I understood everything the problem's were asking way better than I understood them in class."

"Good," Emma's girlfriend said with an encouraging smile as she squeezed the girl's shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

"What if I didn't do well, though? What if I feel good about it but I actually bombed it?"

"I'm still proud of you, Emma. You've been working really hard."

"Are you kidding?" Emma protested. "I threw a fit last night, and I was totally rude to you." Hanging her head, she added, "I'm sorry."

Lifting the girl's chin, Regina kissed her lips, not caring that there was a small flood of students walking past them in the hallway.

"Thank you so much, Regina," Emma said into her ear, pressing their cheeks together and embracing the girl tightly.

"Let's go celebrate your hard work. That sound good?"

"By doing what?"

"Oh, I dunno... Whatever you want."

At first, Emma was confused by the girl's suggestive and seductive tone, but once Regina winked at her, she understood and her eyes widened.

"Oh. OH."

"Mhmm," Regina said with a smile. "Anything you want."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"How about some BDSM?"

Jaw dropping, Regina didn't know what to say, so she just stared at the girl silently and waited to be shaken back into reality.

"Yeah, I knew you didn't mean it," Emma said.

But Emma didn't look disappointed. She was grinning.

"Come on," the blonde said. "Let's go back to my room."

"What about dinner?" Regina protested, looking around the hallway.

"You made me too horny to wait."

"Costume closet behind the theatre stage at the arts center next door?" Regina asked seriously, grabbing the girl's hand and tugging her out of the building without waiting for an answer.

As expected, no one was in the theatre, since it was well outside rehearsal hours, and they had the entire space to themselves. Back stage, Emma immediately threw her lover against the wall, tearing the girl's pants and panties down to her ankles. Wasting no time, they started up against the wall, Regina's hand grabbing onto one of the secured curtain ropes to steady herself. Eventually, they ended up on the floor, with Emma's hand covering Regina's mouth to muffle to moans.

* * *

"Feel better, princess?" Regina said softly, tucking Emma's hair behind her ear.

With an enthusiastic nod, Emma grabbed her pants and jerked them back on before helping her lover off the floor to do the same. When they were both fully clothed, they took a moment to gaze into each other's eyes, feeling the rush of 'puppy love' fill them both as their heartbeats finally began to slow to a normal pace.

"It's not too late to grab dinner," Emma said, nodding towards the clock on the wall back stage.

The dining hall was full, but they still managed to find Emma's friends.

"You look... different," Belle commented, pointing at Emma.

"What do you mean?" the blonde said, startled by the comment.

"You're kinda glowing."

"She got laid," Ruby interjected, taking her turn to point at Emma.

"Shut up, Ruby!" Emma snapped, immediately looking over at her lover, who was blushing brightly.

Regina wasn't one to share her personal life, but she wasn't one to deny her own actions, either. Instead, she stayed silent and stared at her plate, which she had abruptly stopped eating from.

"Just saying," Ruby laughed, picking up her fork again and filling her mouth with a bite of mashed potatoes.

"I hate you, Ruby," Emma sighed, holding her head in her hands.

"Don't be embarrassed, Emma," Belle said softly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. You guys love each other. It's only natural. We're happy for you both."

Emma groaned and Regina covered her eyes.

"Yeah, Emma," Ruby jumped in. "It's  _natural._ "

"Seriously, Ruby," the blonde said. "I hate you."

It seemed like hours before the meal finally ended, but when her friends finally rose from the table and left the dining hall, the two girls that remained at the table looked at each other.

"That was positively horrifying," Emma said.

"I guess so. But Belle's kind of right. It's natural for us to make love to each other."

"I do love you, you know," Emma whispered, too quietly for the brunette to hear her.

"What?" Regina asked, raising her voice over the soft roar of the other students in the dining hall.

"Nothing," the other girl mumbled, looking away. "Let's go."

So the two stood up and made their way back to Regina's dorm room. Once the lights had finally been turned off and the two were in bed, Emma lay awake as she listened to the soft breathing of her lover. After a while, she could stand the silence no longer.

"Regina?"

The girl stirred in her sleep but didn't wake.

"Regina."

Finally, the girl rolled over to face Emma and groaned softly.

"What, Emma?"

"I... I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"I'm really scared of losing you."

"What?"

Regina sat up in bed and looked over at her lover.

"You're going to graduate, and you're going to go to grad school, and I'll be stuck here, without you. You'll leave, and then..."

"Emma."

"You'll find someone smarter."

"Emma!"

"It's true!"

"Honey, it's  _not_ true. I don't want anyone else."

"You say that now, but virtually  _everyone_ is smarter than me. When you realize that, you'll drop me and move on."

"Why is this coming up now? What happened?"

"I just... I don't feel secure in our relationship."

"What are you talking about?" Regina snapped, grabbing the other girl's shoulder.

"I don't feel like we'll survive you leaving for grad school."

"Why?"

"Because I'm worthless, and you're not, and it's only a matter of time."

"Emma, please don't do this," Regina sighed, leaning over her lover and pressing her lips to the girl's forehead.

"I think you should break up with me."

"What the Hell are you talking about?" Regina screamed, reaching over to turn the light on.

"I'm talking about you leaving me."

"Why would I do that?"

"I'm not good enough for you."

Because the light was turned on, Regina could see the tears in Emma's eyes.

"Honey,  _where_ is this coming from? Everything was fine a few hours ago. We were... You... What's going on with you?"

"I've just been thinking a lot, and it hurts."

"Baby," Regina whispered, wrapping her arms around the girl. "I love you, okay? I'm not gonna leave you."

Full-on tears streamed down the blonde's cheeks as she clung to her lover.

"I love you, too, Regina," she sniffled.

"Please believe me when I say that you're the only one I want."

"I..."

"The only one I'll  _ever_ want..."

The words stung Emma's heart and flooded it with feeling, the seriousness of the statement making her stomach sink. But there was relief in the moment, even though she was startled and afraid to believe Regina's words.


	23. New York

"So...New York?" Emma said slowly.

Regina nodded weakly and bit her lip, confirming, "Columbia University accepted me. I'm sorry, Emma, but I have to do this. You know I have to do this."

"I know," the girl sighed, holding her head in her hands. "I just didn't expect this to come up so soon. I can't believe you're really leaving."

"It's not like you won't be able to visit."

"Are you kidding? How am I supposed to visit you when in school?"

"Christmas, long weekends, Spring break. Any of those."

"That's not enough."

"Emma."

"I'm sorry. I'm just scared, you know?"

"I'm scared, too."

"Besides, I'm gonna fail all my classes without you."

"You'll find another tutor for next year, I'm sure," Regina said. "Just don't fall in love with them, okay?"

Emma shoved her shoulder lightly.

"Shut up. That's not going to happen."

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm in love with you, and I'm just as scared as you are that this isn't going to work out and that you're going to leave me."

"Well, I'm not."

"And I'm not going to leave you."

Regina nodded her head and sighed again, pushing a hand through her hair.

"Are you going to help me move in?"

"Of course I am. I'll drive down with you and take a bus home."

"Good," Regina said, finally giving the girl a weak smile.

"There's that smile I love so much," Emma said with a grin. "You're so pretty when you smile."

"Stop it, Emma," the brunette laughed, shoving her shoulder.

"You are!"

"Hush!"

"Never!" Emma cried, jumping onto the girl's lap and tickling her sides, making Regina nearly cry with laughter.

"Stop it!" the girl squealed. "Knock it off!"

"NEVER!"

"I'm gonna pee myself!"

"Good!" Emma laughed, kissing the girl's forehead as she continued to torture her.

"Seriously!"

"Alright, alright," the blonde said as she climbed off of her lover. "I suppose I'll stop... Maybe."

With that, Emma began to tickle her again, until Regina  _was_ crying with laughter. At that point, she finally stopped and kissed the girl's lips.

"No!" Regina snapped. "No kisses for you! You're horrible!"

Emma just grinned and pressed their lips together over and over again as her lover giggled and squirmed under her. When she pulled away at last, she sighed.

"I'm going to be so fucking horny without you."

"Is  _that_ why you don't want me to leave?!"

"Of course not! I'm just saying..."

"Good," Regina said, then cracked a smile. "Because I'm going to be pretty horny myself."

"Are we going to have hot, amazing phone sex?"

"I've never done that before..."

"We'll have to give it a try, then," Emma said, grinning back at her. "I look forward to it."

"I like the thought of you touching yourself while thinking about me..."

"Yeah? I like thinking about you doing it too."

They kissed again, this time more slowly, as they pulled each other closer.

"I love you," Regina whispered, her lips moving down to Emma's neck, pulling a whimper from between the girl's lips.

"Don't do that," Emma sighed. "I have class in twenty minutes."

"That's plenty of time..."

Emma's eyes widened, but she wasted no time undoing her jeans and helping Regina undo hers.

As they lay in each other's arms after they came, Emma whispered, "I'm going to miss you," as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Emma," Regina said sadly. "Please don't cry."

"Just say you'll miss me too."

"Of course I'll miss you too."

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

"And I you."

* * *

The end of the year came quickly, and Emma had passed all her finals with flying colors and made at least a B in all of her classes. (Of course, Regina completed her courses with all A's, but for Emma, a B was a great accomplishment.) On the day of graduation, Emma sat in the audience with an armful of two dozen roses and a teddy bear wearing a graduation cap. At the end of the ceremony, when Regina finally found her in the crowd, the graduating senior began to cry as soon as she took the flowers and the stuffed animal.

"Oh, Emma," she sobbed. "Thank you so much."

"I'm so proud of you, honey," her lover said, kissing her forehead. "So, so proud."

"I'm proud of you too, Emma."

"Shh. This is your day, not mine."

"But I am, and I-"

"Hush. Today is about you and your accomplishments. Graduating with honors! An honors society! A 3.97 GPA! You've done beautifully. You should be proud of yourself too."

"Yeah," Regina sighed. "I just wish my mom was."

"She's not here?"

"Nope. She doesn't like crowds, so..."

"I'm sorry, sweetie... That's horrible."

"It's fine," the girl lied, shaking her head.

"It's not fine. I just wish there was something I could do."

"You being here means the world to me, Emma. Really. Thank you."

This brought a small smile to the other girl's lips as she embraced her lover, trying not to squish the flowers in the process.

* * *

The trip to New York was seven long hours of driving, during which Emma felt completely nauseous from anxiety.

When they reached Regina's new apartment in Manhattan and the place was finally set up with most of the girl's boxes unpacked, it was time to say goodbye. Of course, the tears flowed from both of their eyes, until the final moment when Emma pulled away.

"Emma, I-"

"Regina, wait. I want to give you something."

"You've already given me enough. I really don't need-"

"I think you'll want this."

"What is it?"

At this point, Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out a sterling silver ring from her pocket, covered in an intricate celtic design.

"It's a promise ring, Regina."

The girl's mouth fell open as Emma slipped the silver band on her ring finger, and more tears dripped from her eyes.

"I love you so much," Regina said, sniffling through the words.

"I love you too, baby," Emma replied. "Always."


	24. We Need to Talk

The next few weeks weren't so bad. The two video chatted online for hours at a time, every day after their classes were over.

"Are you getting your homework done, young lady?" Regina teased, sticking her tongue out at the camera.

"Nope," Emma shot back. "Never."

"Emma Swan!" the brunette snapped. "You'd better be doing your damn homework, missy!"

Emma just laughed, pushing a hand through her hair, saying, "You know I'm doing it, 'Gina. Don't freak out."

"Have you found another tutor?"

"Oh, yeah. She is  _gorgeous._ You should see her. Huge tits, totally brilliant..."

"EMMA!" Regina screamed, suddenly serious.

"I'm just kidding. Jesus. I haven't even found one yet. No one wants to tutor a retard."

"You're not a retard. You just never take your pills!"

"I've been taking them!" Emma protested. "Every day, I swear!"

Regina sighed and lowered her head.

"I hope you're telling me the truth."

"You think I would lie to you?"

There was a pause as Regina thought about her answer.

"I don't know."

"What the hell do you mean you 'don't know?'"

"I mean, if I were you, I wouldn't want to upset me, so I'd probably tell me anything I wanted to hear."

"Well I'm not fucking like that, okay? Jesus Christ, Regina! I can't believe you're even saying that. I thought you trusted me."

"It's not... It's not that I..."

"I have to go," the blonde snapped, instantly ending the phone call before Regina had another chance to speak.

Just before she shut the lid of her laptop, she saw the message that appeared on her screen.

' **I'm sorry.'**

Emma sighed and fell back against the pile of pillows on her bed, rubbing her eyes. All the way in New York, Regina did the same.

The next day, Emma woke to three text messages, all from her lover.

' **Please forgive me.' 'I didn't mean it.' 'Emma, please talk to me.'**

But Emma said nothing, electing not to reply, and went to class feeling irritated and dejected.

That night, she finally came around, and signed on to the video chatting program on her laptop. At that point, she still hadn't replied to her girlfriend's text messages, even though she'd gotten a few more since that morning. Almost immediately, a message popped up on her screen.

' **Can we talk?'**

Emma hesitated, but pressed the 'call' button, and waited for it to be answered, which happened instantly.

"Hi," her lover said, giving a small wave before pushing a nervous hand through her hair.

"Hi," Emma said shortly, her voice void of its usual enthusiasm.

"I'm really sorry, Emma," the girl sighed. "I do tr-"

"I don't want to hear it, okay? I get it. You don't have to explain."

"No, Emma, please. I just-"

"Stop it. Let it go."

"Emma," the brunette sighed, looking pleadingly at the camera.

"Don't."

"Look, can't we talk about this? I just want to-"

"No. People don't just say shit like that. If you trusted me, you wouldn't have said what you did."

"I  _do_ trust you!" Regina cried desperately, tears welling in her eyes.

"No, you don't. Listen, I really don't want to do this right now. I'm going to go. I'll talk to you later."

"No! Emma, please don't go. I... I miss you..."

"I don't know if I can be in a relationship where my lover doesn't trust me," Emma said.

Then, there was a knock at Emma's door, so the girl turned her head to look, then turned back to the camera.

"I have to go anyway."

"Why?"

"I have a friend coming over."

"Who?"

"His name is Killian."

"What?"

"What, I'm not allowed to have friends now?! You're really that insecure?"

"No!" Regina snapped. "Fuck you! Look who's talking! You were the one crying about how I was going to find someone better and leave you!"

"And you're the one acting jealous and saying you don't believe me when I talk."

"Emma, I didn't mean that, and I'm not-"

"I have to go."

With that, Emma slammed the laptop shut, nearly throwing it onto her desk as she jumped up to answer the door.

* * *

' **What can I do to make this right?'** Regina's text to Emma read the next morning.

Emma just sighed and shook her head, locking the phone and ignoring the message.

That night, she declined to go online, instead electing to finish her English paper, entirely by herself, but the texts kept coming.

' **Emma, come on.' 'I want to fix this.'** Then, a few hours later:  **'I love you.'**

Emma ignored all of these, until, finally, one read,  **'Why are you ignoring me?'**

' **Homework,'**  Emma texted back.  **'Busy.'**

' **So you do have a tutor.'**

' **Killian is helping me, yeah.'**

' **Is he there?'**

' **Why?'**

' **What the fuck, Emma! Because I want to talk to you!'**

' **I told you I'm busy. Now stop texting me.'**

So, the texts stopped, and Emma finished her homework. By the time she went to bed, it was eleven, but she didn't fall asleep until well past two, kept awake by thoughts of the quarrel with her lover. Just before dreams finally overtook her, Emma began to feel guilt for not saying 'I love you,' but she still refrained from messaging the other girl, deciding to be stubborn instead of indulging in forgiveness.

In the morning, there was another message.

' **Did you mean what you said, about not wanting to be with me?'**

' **I didn't say that,'** Emma shot back angrily.

' **Well what did you mean, then?'**

Emma said nothing. For the next three days, Emma elected to ignore all messages from her lover, too upset to respond.

' **Are you okay?'**  the last one read.  **'I'm worried about you.'**

' **What the fuck do you care if you don't even trust me?'**  the blonde finally answered.

' **Don't be dramatic.'**

So, Emma stopped responding again, but this time, her protest lasted ten days, and Regina sent no more messages.

On the tenth day, just when Emma though the girl had forgotten about her, she received a text.

' **If you don't get online tonight, this is over.'**

Though the girl chose not to respond, that night, she sat in front of her open laptop, hesitating. At last, she signed on, and waited.

The call came just moments later, and Emma momentarily considered not answering, or hanging up immediately, but instead, she answered the call.

"What do you want?" Emma snapped after a moment of shared silence.

"Are you serious?" Regina asked. "What do you think?"

"I honestly don't know anymore. If you don't trust me, why the fuck are you supposedly with me?"

"Supposedly?"

"I don't know."

"You're the one who ignored me for  _ten whole days._ "

"Yeah. You're right."

"Just tell me what  _you_ want, then."

"I want to be with someone who trusts me, and I don't believe that you do."

"Fine," Regina said, finally at her breaking point. "You won't hear me out? Fuck you."

The call ended, leaving both of them sitting and staring at their screens.


	25. Be Strong For Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains material that may be triggering for some readers. Mentions of rape. Please read with caution. Not sure how well this chapter went, so... be gentle with reviews! I tried hard. :/

Though Regina had been the one to end the call, she was the one to cry. It was Emma who became stoic and cold, her entire demeanor changing the way she interacted with others, including her closest friends.

"What's up with you, Em?" Ruby asked, scowling. "You got something stuck up your ass? There's surgery for that, you know."

"Shut the fuck up, Ruby," Emma snapped. "I don't need your shit right now."

"Hey... Emma... Seriously," Belle tried, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"I need a drink," Emma sighed, dropping her head into her hands.

Later that night, sitting in her room alone, she downed a few shots of rum before deciding to send one more text.

' **Hey, Killian. You goin out tonight?'**

' **Only if you are.'**

' **I will if you do.'**

' **Done deal. I'll see you in twenty.'**

But the night was far from expected. At the house party they attended, it took the drunken young man hardly any time to put his hands on her, sliding them up and down her sides as they danced close to each other. Emma, just as intoxicated, hesitated, and he moved closer, pulling her hips towards his own and pressing himself against her. When she tried to pull away, he drunkenly grabbed her wrists and held her close, grinding his hips against her.

"S-Stop,"she slurred, trying to pull away, but he was stronger, and held her in place with one hand and fondled her chest with the other.

"You know you want it," he said over the music.

Being drunk themselves, no one seemed to notice the struggle, so Emma was on her own, and found herself unable to get away from his touch. When he backed her against the wall and reached between her legs, groping her there and slamming his wet mouth against hers, Emma began to cry.

"Don't start that," he ordered. "I hate when girls cry. Don't kid yourself, baby. I'm the best you'll ever get."

Finally, she broke free as he stumbled and attempted to regain his balance. Bolting from the room, she disappeared into the throng of college students and ran out of the house.

Unfortunately for Emma, he was both strong and fast, and caught up with her quickly as she walked the wooded path in the trees back to her dorm room. Grabbing her by her hair, he threw her to the ground and straddled her, tearing at her jeans and struggling to undo the clasps there. Screaming, but with no one around to hear her that late at night, Emma thrashed beneath him as he dropped his own jeans to his knees. Just as he was about to undo the buttons on her pants, she managed to grab a medium sized rock, and she slammed it against the back of his head. Instantly, he collapsed on top of her, with his pants down. She struggled to throw him off, sobbing and screaming as she was finally able to roll his unconscious body away. She ran the rest of the way back to her dorm room, nearly tripping multiple times, as her coordination had been almost completely erased by the alcohol.

* * *

The first time Emma dialed the number, there was no answer, and she declined to leave a voicemail, knowing she needed to talk to the girl directly.

' **I nneed yyouu,'**  she typed, too intoxicated to spell the sentence correctly.

As soon as the message went through, her phone rang. It was Regina.

"Emma?"

"Regina," the girl sobbed into the phone. "He tried to rape me."

"Who? Emma, what happened?"

"K-Killian. He... He..."

"You have to go to the police, Emma! Now!"

"I n-need you," Emma continued to sob. "I need you h-here."

"Are you drunk?"

"Y-Yes... I'm s-so sorry, 'Gina."

"Go to the police. They'll take a statement, and you can charge him with sexual assault. You have to do it now," Regina told her, then gently added, "I'm so sorry I can't be there for you right now. I'm so sorry I can't take care of you. That I couldn't protect you. But you need to do this. You need to be strong for me, baby."

"I c-can't."

"You can, Emma. You have to."

"N-No!"

"Do it for me, baby. Be strong for just a little bit longer."

"I c-can't. I need you here."

"I'll come see you this weekend. I'll take the train. But right now, you need to do this. It can't wait."

"You'll really c-come s-see me?"

"Yes. Call me when you're leaving the station, okay? I'll be right here, waiting for your call."

"Okay."

"Good girl. Now go. Be strong."

"Regina."

"What, baby?"

"I'm scared. I'm still d-drunk. They're n-not gonna b-believe me.""

"They will. You can do this. They're going to take care of you and make sure he gets taken into custody so he can't do this again."

"Okay. And Regina?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"I'm s-sorry. I l-love you."

"I love you too, Emma."

The visit to the station was a painful one, as she had to re-live the moment as she explained what happened, and after she gave her statement to the police, a very nice cop drove her back to her dorm. As soon as she reached her room, she dialed Regina's number again. By this time, she had sobered up.

"Regina," she said into the phone, sniffling and struggling to hold back the tears.

Hearing that Emma was choking on sobs, her lover told her, "It's okay to cry, baby. I'm right here."

"Can we chat online? I need to see you."

"I look like shit and I'm in my PJs, but of course. I just hope I don't break your computer screen with my hideous face that's lacking makeup right now."

"You always look beautiful. Especially first thing in the morning, when you're  _not_ wearing makeup."

"You're so full of shit," Regina laughed lightly, then opened her laptop. "See you in a minute."

Emma hung up and made the call on the computer, but as soon as she saw the girl's face, she began to cry again.

"Hey," Regina said. "It's alright. It's gonna be okay."

"I'm just glad he didn't... you know..."

"Me too, honey. I hate that I'm so far away..."

"Are you really going to come home for the weekend?"

"Yes, if you want to see me."

"I do," Emma said softly, her eyes still flooded with tears. "I miss you so much, Regina."

"I miss you too, Emma, and I'm so sorry that all of this happened. I  _do_ trust you. Please believe me... I was just... I was having a bad night, I took it out on you, and I'm sorry."

"I just want you to come home," Emma sobbed, lowering her head. "I need you here. I can't take this. You're too far away."

"I know, baby. I know. Just tell me one thing."

"Anything."

"Did that promise ring really mean something?"

"Of course it did," Emma told her sincerely. "I've never felt this way about anyone. You're all I want. I don't know what came over me... I was just so hurt..."

"I know, and I'm sorry. How can I make this right? I'll do anything."

"Come see me."

"I will."

"Can you do one other thing for me?"

"Anything, my darling. Anything."

"Will you stay online with me while I fall asleep? I'm afraid I'll have nightmares."

"I will. I'll leave my computer open all night, so if you get scared, you can just yell and wake me up, and I'll be right here."

As Emma lay on her side, her eyes closed, in front of the camera, Regina smiled.

"You look so peaceful when you sleep. I know you're not peaceful right now, obviously, but when you're tired, you look like such an angel..."

"Oh, hush," Emma yawned. "You shut up."

Regina giggled softly, saying, "I love you, Emma. Get some sleep."

"I love you too, Regina. Thank you."


	26. A Virtual Surprise

The next morning, the two were both still connected through the video call, and Emma woke up first.

"Regina?" she said, sitting up and looking at the camera as she pushed a hand through her hair to untangle it.

The girl stirred away and rolled over to face the computer, then gave a wave and a small smile as she yawned.

"Hey, baby," she said softly. "How ya feelin'?"

"I'm... I'm okay."

"I know that was scary," Regina said, "but you were brave last night, and I'm proud of you. If you want to talk about what happened, we always can, okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it, though."

"Then you don't have to. Just know that I'm here if you do."

"Okay."

"Well, I've gotta get ready for class. I'll call you on here this afternoon, okay?"

Emma nodded and sighed, looking down.

"What's the matter?" Regina asked, seeming concerned.

"I don't want you to go."

"It's gonna be okay, baby."

"What if I see him?"

"Didn't they take him in for questioning last night?"

"I don't know if they found him or not."

"Be brave, Emma. I'll be there in a few days, and it'll all be okay."

"Make me smile before you go."

Regina looked confused at first, then her face lit up with excitement.

"I have a surprise for you."

"You do?"

"Mhmm. Tonight."

"Will I like the surprise?"

"Absolutely."

"Are you sure?"

"I'd be shocked and offended if you didn't."

"Jeez. Okay."

"Get to class, honey. I'll talk to you later."

With a wink, Regina ended the call.

* * *

Emma did not see the offender that day, and she was pleased to find out that he had, in fact, been taken into custody. Luckily for her, he was - at least temporarily - no longer a threat. Though she couldn't push the experience from her mind, it lightened her spirit and gave her the strength to get through the day. Not to mention, she was greatly looking forward to her 'surprise.'

When it was time for the call, Emma looked in the mirror and pulled the collar of her shirt down to expose her breasts just a little bit more. After flipping her hair one more time, she sat down on her bed and opened her computer. When the call was answered, Emma was shocked to find the girl in a bra and panties, and was unable to speak as she stared at her computer screen.

"Like what you see, Miss Swan?" the brunette asked slyly, leaning in slightly to give a better view of her assets.

Emma, silent, just nodded her head.

"Do you want to see more?" Regina questioned, biting down seductively on her lower lip.

Again, Emma nodded, so Regina reached behind herself and undid the clasp of her bra, letting it fall into her lap. Emma was nearly drooling, which brought a smirk to Regina's lips as she realized just how much control she had over her lover. The blonde gripped the sheets in her fists.

"What else?" the girl teased, leaning back and slipping her fingertips just under the waistband of her panties.

"All of it," Emma begged, her mouth watering.

"What are you going to do if I show you?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to touch yourself."

Emma's eyes went wide, but she nodded her head and undid the clasp of her jeans. As Regina removed her last item of clothing, Emma slipped her fingers into her own panties and bit down on her lip as she stroked the sensitive area beneath them.

"Regina," Emma said softly, staring at the screen as Regina began to do the same.

"Take them off. I want to see."

Blushing brightly, Emma removed her T-shirt, then her bra and jeans. When she got to her underwear, she paused, looking back up at her laptop.

"This feels weird," she said, hesitating.

Taken aback by this, Regina sat up and began to blush.

"I'm sorry. This was stupid. I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's okay. I just... After everything that happened... I can still... I can still feel him on top of me..."

Suddenly, Emma was sweating, her palms moist and clammy as she continued to grip the sheets.

"Emma, I'm sorry," Regina replied, quickly grabbing a shirt and pulling it on, then sliding her panties back up.

"Please don't be sorry. I just..."

"I understand. I didn't mean to upset you, I swear."

Tears were welling in the brunette's eyes, and Emma's eyes flooded to match.

"I wish you were here," the blonde said sadly, rubbing the wetness from her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I can't do this alone."

"I'll be there in a few days, honey. You just have to hang in there, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Emma nodded weakly, but didn't seem convinced. As soon as the two ended the call, she burst into tears, crying herself to sleep.


	27. Mentor

Emma found herself strangely anxious at the thought of seeing the beautiful Regina Mills again, for the first time in a few months. As she waited at the train station, she felt her heart begin to race, showing no signs of slowing as the clock ticked the minutes past until, at last, the train pulled up on the tracks. Her heart seemed to sputter and stop for a moment as she watched the people pour out, until, at last, she caught sight of her brown-eyed lover staring back at her as she stepped onto the platform.

"Emma!" the girl screamed, running towards her with open arms.

The blonde caught her swiftly and lifted her into her arms until her feet were no longer touching the ground.

"'Gina," Emma sighed happily, burying her face in the brown locks of hair tickling her cheek.

"I missed you so much," Regina breathed into Emma's ear, kissing the top of it.

Emma nodded her head and flashed a weak smile, then finally pulled away, still holding onto the girl's hands.

"I love you," the blonde whispered back, her voice cracking.

Her lover responded by kissing her lips, but the kiss was slow, reserved, and Regina could tell that Emma was holding something back as she felt the wetness of tears stream down the blonde's cheeks.

"What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?"

Emma shook her head, quickly wiped away the tears, and gently tugged the girl towards the sidewalk. Luckily, the train station was conveniently situated at the heart of the campus, just a few blocks from Emma's dorm room. When they reached her room, Emma, as usual, held the door open and waited for the brunette to enter, without saying anything else.

"Emma?" Regina questioned anxiously, stepping slowly towards her lover.

"Yeah?"

"You're acting strange. What's the matter?"

"I haven't been myself since the other night. I feel empty. Hollow."

Regina nodded sadly and wrapped her arms around her lover, holding her close and placing a chaste kiss on the girl's neck.

"Hey... Don't do that," Emma sighed, gently pushing the older girl away. "That feels good."

"You don't want that?"

"I'm... I'm not ready to... you know... do that yet."

Regina bit her lip and nodded her head slowly.

"So, tell me about your classes!" the brunette suddenly exclaimed.

Emma, caught a little off guard by this, bit her lip and looked away.

"I... They're... They're hard, honestly. I was getting help from... from Killian... but..."

"I'm sorry," Regina breathed, realizing she'd made a mistake in bringing up the girl's courses. "I can try to tutor you from New York, but it'll be nearly impossible without having copies of your textbooks. I guess I should probably order some..."

"No!" Emma cried. "They're expensive, and you have your own work to do."

"That never stopped me before."

"Yeah, but this is grad school, and-"

"Emma. I want to help you."

"Ugh!" the blonde cried, kicking her desk chair. "I just wish I could do this on my own!"

"Emma," Regina sighed, stepping closer and putting her hand protectively on the other girl's arm. "Not everyone loves school the way I do, and that's okay. Your strengths are... Hey, what's this?"

The brunette gestured down at the desk where a purple flier lay covered in large, bold lettering.

"It's nothing," Emma snapped, grabbing the paper away and shoving it in the top drawer of her desk.

"No, really. Counseling middle school students? I think you'd be great at that, Emma. Why don't you sign up?"

"I'd make a shitty mentor," the blonde mumbled sadly.

"That's not true, Em!" Regina protested. "I'm sure that-"

"Knock it off, okay? I really don't need to be fed any more bullshit right now. I'm not in the mood."

Frustration mounting, the girl sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands, pushing her fingers through her long, blonde locks of hair. Her lover wasted no time filling the space next to her and wrapped her arm around Emma's shoulders protectively.

"Any young girl would be lucky to have you as a mentor," Regina told her, kissing the side of her head.

But Emma just sighed and kept her face covered, refusing to look at the beautiful brunette beside her.

"I didn't take my ring off, you know," the graduate student announced softly. "When you said you didn't know why I was with you and stopped talking to me. I didn't take it off."

"I didn't take mine off, either," Emma mumbled, still averting her eyes.

"I love you, Emma."

The girl sighed and pushed a hand through her brunette locks, looking away from her lover.

"Do you think we'll get through this?" the blonde asked suddenly, catching the other girl off guard.

"I hope so."

"That's not very encouraging."

"I think we will. I'm just scared."

Emma nodded and took the girl's hand, squeezing it gently.

"I'm so glad I have you."

"And I'm blessed to call myself yours."

The blonde paused for a moment, then replied, "I don't think that's true."

"Well it is, so shut up."

Emma laughed and shook her head.

"I love it when you snap at me."

The brunette laughed too and embraced the girl, kissing her forehead.

"You're silly."

"I know, but you love me."

"I can't help myself. Your charm is impossible to resist."

The next morning, when Regina woke up embracing her lover, she woke the girl abruptly, nudging her gently until her eyes opened.

"What? What?" Emma snapped, groggily looking over into the girl's chocolate eyes.

"I'm signing you up to be a mentor. I'm not going to let you give up this opportunity to change someone's life."

Emma sighed.

"I'm more likely to fuck it up."

"Hush. You're gonna do great."

When the girl finally shut her eyes and conceded, Regina grinned.


	28. Maddy

They spent the rest of the weekend mostly wrapped in each other's arms, and when it came time to drop Regina off at the train station, she was more than reluctant.

"I don't want you to go," she sniffled. "It's so hard without you here."

"I know, baby," Regina sighed, kissing the girl's forehead. "But I'll be back for Thanksgiving."

Emma hesitated, then asked, "Do you think you'd want to come to my house and meet my parents? I mean, I know you've got your mom and everything, but I just thought-"

"Of course!" Regina cried, throwing her arms around the girl.

When the train pulled up, she moved away.

"I gotta go, honey," the brunette told her. "I love you."

Emma nodded, tears forming in her eyes, and kissed her lips.

"I love you too. Now, go, before I decide to kidnap you and make you miss your train."

* * *

The following Wednesday, it was time to meet the girl she was supposed to be mentoring, and Emma was nervous. She waited at the middle school until the bell rang and the kids were dismissed, and when the eighth grader appeared in the cafeteria and approached Emma apprehensively, the blonde offered the young girl an encouraging smile.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Emma."

"I'm Maddy."

"I like that name," Emma told her brightly, sticking out her hand to shake the younger girl's.

Maddy's hair was dark like Regina's, but her eyes were a light, piercing blue. Emma gestured to a seat at one of the tables and sat down on the other side.

When the girl sat down, Emma said, "So tell me about you. What do you like to do for fun?"

"Um... I, uh... I guess I'm kind of nerdy. I like to read, but... I don't really do my homework. Any time someone  _tells_ me to read something, I hate it."

Emma smiled, knowing all too well the feeling of hating school and all the homework it brought on.

"I know exactly what you mean, sweetie. I used to read a lot. With college and everything, I barely have any time, and now that I do have some, I figured I'd spend it mentoring someone else and helping out in any way I can."

"You don't care that I'm a nerd?"

"Like I said, buddy, I can totally relate. That was me in school for a long time. I used to get bullied a lot, but I kind of grew out of it."

"Yeah. I get bullied, too."

Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah? Who do I need to beat up?"

The girl grinned and shook her head.

"It's okay. I can handle it myself."

"Yeah... Your principal told me you've been getting into fights. I guess that stems from being bullied, huh?"

"My parents say I have to behave, but I just can't handle not being able to stick up for myself."

"You know what, buddy? I think that makes a lot of sense. I used to get in fights a lot too, but that was for another reason..."

"They pick on me because I'm dumb in class, and because I... I..."

"You what?" Emma asked, looking intently into the girl's bright eyes.

"I'm gay. I told the girl who I thought was my best friend, and she freaked out and told everyone else."

"Wow. I'm sorry, hun. That's awful. I kinda had the same experience, but not until high school."

Emma reached her hand across the table and took Maddy's, giving it a light squeeze.

"It'll get better as you get older," the blonde told her. "Once you're in college, you'll find a lot of people like you, and it'll get easier."

"You're gay too?" Maddy asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, and I speak from experience when I say that the quicker you accept yourself for who you are, the quicker you'll be able to let the insults just roll off your back and not let them bother you."

The girl smiled and said, "I'm glad I got you as a mentor, Emma."

"And I'm glad I got you! We seem to have a lot in common." When Maddy nodded, Emma continued, "So, what do you want to do next week when I pick you up from school? We can do anything legal you want."

When Emma winked, the girl laughed and asked hopefully, "Do you know how to skateboard?"

"Actually, I do."

"I don't know how, but I really wanna learn. Will you teach me?"

"Of course! Why not?"

The girl grinned and looked at her watch.

"Well, I gotta go. My mom's probably here by now. I'll see you next week, Emma!"

"Alright. Bring your homework, though, okay? I promised your principal I'd help you out with that. As soon as we're done, I'll teach you how to shred like a pro."

Maddy rolled her eyes and huffed, but conceded. The encounter left Emma smiling, and as soon as she got in her car, she dialed her girlfriend's number.

"Hey, babe!" Regina answered. "How'd it go?"

"She's  _awesome_. A total cutiepie, and she wants me to teach her how to skateboard! She's just like me. Gay and everything. But she's getting bullied at school and she struggles with her homework, so we're gonna have to work on that."

"You sound really excited! See? I told you it would be great."

"Yeah... I just hope I don't fuck this up," Emma sighed, shutting her eyes and leaning back against the seat. "What if I do?"

"You won't. This girl obviously needs some support from someone who knows what she's going through, and you're perfect for the job!"

"Thanks babe," the blonde answered, finally smiling again. "I gotta get back to school, but I'll talk to you later, okay? I love you."

"I love you too, Em."


	29. Meds

Emma waved and smiled brightly at the young girl a few days later when she saw her next. To her surprise, the girl ran up to her and hugged her tightly.

"Hi, Emma!" Maddy said enthusiastically.

The blonde's eyes were wide, but her smile grew wider as well as she looked down at the young brunette and hugged her back.

"Hey, there, hun. How was your day?"

"It sucked! Some kid called me fat and-"

"WHAT?!" Emma cried. "Where is he? I'll teach him a lesson."

"It was a girl."

"Then I'll teach  _her_ a lesson."

"I can handle it... it was just really mean."

Emma sighed and said, "Yeah. You should probably just ignore it. She'll stop eventually if she doesn't get a rise out of you. It won't be fun for her anymore, and it'll stop making her feel good."

"Why does it make her feel good to pick on me?"

"Because she feels crappy about herself."

"How do you know that?"

"Because no one who  _really_ feels good about themselves would ever put anyone else down."

"Well, she seems to feel just fine about herself. She's popular and has a ton of friends."

"That doesn't change what's inside her, honey. Inside, she feels like crap, and she picks on you - and probably other people too - to make herself feel superior."

"Well, that's dumb."

"I know it, but it's the way it is. Eventually she'll stop. Trust me on that."

The girl sighed and ground her shoe into the tar beneath her feet.

"I hate her."

"Aw, c'mon, Maddy. Don't waste your energy hating somebody. She's not worth it."

The girl shrugged her shoulders and continued to avert her eyes, but Emma gently lifted her chin to look at her.

"It's gonna be alright, sweetheart. You're strong enough to ignore her and get through this."

"But it's hard!"

"I know. But it's important that you don't lash out or fight back, okay? You're just gonna get in more trouble."

"I only fight with boys. Girls just hurt my feelings. Boys are the ones that really push my buttons and make me angry."

"Yeah... I get that. I felt the same way when I was in middle school. And high school, actually. I got in fights for a long, long time. It was only when I went to college that I sort of looked at my life and said, 'You know what? I don't want that to be me anymore. That's not who I am.' Do you know what I mean?"

Maddy sighed again and shrugged her shoulders once more, saying, "I guess so."

"No, come on. Tell me the truth. Do you understand?"

"No, not really."

"Okay," Emma said, kneeling down in front of the girl and holding both of her hands. "When I was your age, all the way until I was about eighteen, I thought that the only way to get through life was to fight people. It was one of the only things that made me feel better. But when I got older, I realized that I wasn't just physically hurting the people I was fighting. I was emotionally and mentally hurting myself. I was destroying myself. So, I decided that I wanted to change my values, and I did. I decided that I wasn't okay with hurting people anymore, and I stopped. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, but it still feels good to fight..."

"I know. But you just feel horrible afterwards. Isn't that right?"

"No. I feel great."

"Don't lie to me, missy. My superpower is detecting lies."

"Okay, fine. Maybe I do feel worse later. But it still feels good in the moment."

"But it goes away, honey. That rush goes away, and just leaves you empty. That's not what I want for you."

"What else made you feel better, besides fighting?"

"Well... more stuff I shouldn't have been doing that just made me feel even worse after."

"Like what?"

"Like... Look, that's not important, okay? It's not something we need to talk about right now. Maybe later though, okay? Let's focus on some happy stuff."

"Fine," the girl pouted. "Like what? Skateboarding?!"

"Nope," Emma answered with a smile. "Like homework."

"What? Why?"

"Because you know you need to get it done, you know you need help with it, and I'm here to help you."

"But I can just do it later! I wanna learn how to-"

"Maddy. We're not skateboarding until your homework is done, alright? If you focus really hard, we'll be able to get it done in no time, and then we can play around."

"Fine," Maddy huffed. "Whatever."

"Don't give me that attitude, missy," the blonde teased, ruffling the girl's hair. "Now, let's go to the library and get started."

Once they were at the library, Emma set them up at a table and immediately spread out the girl's books.

"So what should we do first?" she asked cheerfully.

"Skateboard," the girl mumbled, kicking the chair before sitting down beside her mentor.

"Hey, come on. Don't give me a hard time, okay? I'm just trying to help you out, and the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can have some fun."

"I hate this," Maddy whined, pushing the books away.

"Maddy. Please? For me?"

With another huff, the girl picked up her pencil and pulled her math book closer.

Then, Emma asked, "Alright. So, what's the homework for tonight?"

The girl pulled out her day planner and looked at the notes under that day's date.

"Odd problems 1-21 on page 156," she groaned, squeezing the pencil in her fist.

"Hey. It's gonna be alright. We'll get through this."

"I can't focus! It's too hard. I don't know what I'm doing, and I get really antsy when I have to sit too long."

Emma paused, thinking about the familiarity of the symptoms the girl had just described.

"Maddy... Have you ever been tested for ADHD?"

"What's ADHD?"

"Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It basically means that the chemicals and hormones in your body are a little off, so they make it really hard to sit still, focus and get things done. Usually, when people have it, they do get antsy and a little too excited sometimes."

"Oh... You think I have that?"

"I'm not sure, but it makes me curious, because of what you just told me. That might be the reason you're struggling."

"But how do you know about that?"

"Well... Because I have it."

"Can you get better?"

"I take medication for it that really helps me, yeah, but it's hard when I forget to take it. It makes me anxious and distracted."

"You think it would help me?"

"I don't know, kiddo, but I think we should talk to your mum about getting you to a doctor to find that out. What do you think?"

"I don't wanna be messed up."

"Oh, Maddy... It's not like that. It doesn't mean you're messed up. It just means that you have a harder time than other people."

"But I don't wanna-"

"Lots of people struggle with it, sweetie. It doesn't have to mean anything bad, and it can definitely be treated, if that's actually what you have, which it very well might not be."

"My teachers just think I'm stupid and lazy."

"Well, your teachers aren't around when you're doing your homework, are they?"

"No... But I have trouble sitting still in class, too, and they definitely notice that. They just scold me and get mad about it, but I really can't help it! I'm not  _trying_ to make a scene or a be a problem."

"I know that, hun. Depending on what the doctors say, I'd be willing to have a talk with your teachers about it to help them better understand what you're going through. And you might even find that it's a lot easier to focus if they put you on medication, and maybe even work through some of your anxiety in therapy."

"I don't wanna take meds, though. Or be in therapy. My mom takes meds because she gets crazy if she doesn't, and-"

"What?"

"Well, she... The doctors say she's something called bipolar, and she gets really angry or upset a lot if she doesn't take them."

"Oh... Well, a lot of people struggle with that too. It's okay to need help, sweetheart."

Maddy sighed but nodded her head, indicating her reluctant understanding, then turned what little attention she could muster to the pages of her workbook. The two spend the next two hours working through the problems, then the girl's English homework, until they were finally finished with all the work she'd been assigned for that night. It was only then that the two went outside, and Emma grabbed her skateboard out of her car.


	30. Exactly Like Me

"Okay," Emma started. "Now, you're gonna half to put on pads and a helmet."

"What? Why?"

"To keep you safe when you fall, silly. Falling happens a lot, and I don't want you to go home to your mom all scraped up."

Reluctantly, the girl put on the knee and elbow pads, as well as the helmet, then looked up at her mentor, waiting for the next set of instructions.

"Alright, now go ahead and put one foot on the middle of the board."

Maddy did as she was told and leaned on her right foot that was still firmly placed on the ground.

"Okay. Now, push off with your right foot to move forward."

The girl shifted her weight and did this a few times, then took a trip from being upright to falling on her rear on the grass beside the sidewalk.

"You alright?" Emma asked, quickly helping the girl stand up.

"Yeah... I'm... I'm okay."

"That happens, alright? A lot. To everyone. Especially when you're first learning. Actually, I still fall a lot when I try new tricks."

"Really?"

"Really."

Maddy smiled and got back on the skateboard, pushing herself along as she moved down the sidewalk slowly, with Emma close behind. She stumbled again as her foot tripped over a rock, but this time, her mentor caught her as she began to fall.

"Got ya," Emma said with a smile, holding her up. "You're doing great. Keep trying."

As the girl scooted along a little further, more slowly that time, she asked, "When do I get to learn how to do an ollie?"

Emma laughed and continued walking behind the girl, saying, "Soon, buddy. Once you master this, we'll move on to harder stuff. This takes practice, though. You gotta gain your balance."

They practiced for another hour, until the sun started to set, and Emma said, "Alright, kiddo. Time for me to bring you home."

"What? Already?"

"Well, we can't skateboard in the dark, and your parents probably want you home for dinner."

"But-"

"How about we go out for ice cream next time? My treat."

This made the girl's eyes light up as a smile spread across her lips.

"That sounds great!"

"Good deal. Now, let's get you home."

Once Emma had parked her car on campus and returned to her dorm room, she dialed her girlfriend's number.

"Hi, baby!" Regina answered. "How'd it go?"

"It was great, Gina. She's perfect. She's  _exactly_ like me, though. I think she's even got ADHD."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah! It's creepy how alike we are. I hope I can really help her, though. This whole thing makes me nervous. All I want to do is help her grow in a positive way, you know?"

"Of course, honey. That makes perfect sense, and that's what makes you such a good mentor."

"Well, we'll see. It's too early to tell, but hopefully we'll see some progress with her grades and her behavior soon. We had a couple really good talks today, and I think I'm already starting to get through to her. I think she's even gonna have her mom take her to the doctor to get tested."

"That's great, babe! I'm so proud of you."

"Yeah. She ran up to me and hugged me when I picked her up from school! It was so cute."

"Aww! Emma, that sounds adorable!"

"It really was. I think she really likes me."

"I'm sure she does. How could she not?"

Emma laughed at this, saying, "I'm probably not the best choice of a mentor, but at least I really care about her. We even practiced skateboarding. She fell a few times, but she did great. She's excited to learn ollies next."

"She sounds like a great kid, Em. And you're the  _perfect_ mentor for her."

"I wish you could meet her, babe. I think she'd love you too."

"Why?"

"'Cause you're sweet and caring, and you'd really like her."

"From what you've told me, I already do."

"Good! So, what's going on with you?"

"School's really hard, Em. I'm honestly struggling. I've never had trouble with schoolwork before, but this is... It's a little over my head."

"Aw, honey, I'm sure you've got this. Just stick with it and don't give up. I know you can push through it."

"I don't know... I got a B on my last exam. I'm so stressed out."

"Are you serious? Regina, that's great! Especially for grad school. I'm so proud of you!"

"I need to graduate at the top of my class, Emma, and it feels like that's not gonna happen. It definitely won't if I keep getting Bs."

"You'll pull 'em up, babe. I know you will. Don't give up, alright? Keep pushing. I know you've never had to before, but get help from your teachers if you think it might help."

With a sigh, Regina replied, "I will. Listen, I gotta go, though. I've got a massive pile of homework to get done, and I'm already exhausted."

"Alright. I love you, Gina."

"Love you too, Em."

The next day, Emma received a call from Maddy, but because she was in class for another ten minutes, she couldn't answer it. As soon as the period was over, she rushed into the hallway and checked her voicemail.

" _Emma, it's Maddy. I know we're not supposed to hang out until Monday, but something happened, and I got into a lot of trouble, and I really need to see you."_

Immediately, Emma dialed the girl's number.

When she picked up, her mentor asked, "Maddy? Are you alright?"

"No. I got into a fight at school, and they're talking to my mom about expelling me!"

"Oh, crap. Are they meeting right now?"

"Yeah! I'm outside waiting for mom. She's in the principal's office."

"Okay. I'm coming down, alright? I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Emma sped almost the whole way to the school and got there in ten minutes instead of fifteen. As soon as she saw Maddy sitting on the curb, she parked and threw the car door open, rushing over.

The girl was crying, so Emma wrapped her arms around her and squeezed, saying, "It's gonna be alright. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

"He called me a fag and shoved me into a locker, so I decked him in the face! He started it!"

"Is that true?"

"Yes! I swear!"

"Then he's the one who should be getting in trouble. Trust me, I'm gonna make sure that little poop-head at least gets suspended. I can't promise I'll be able to get you off completely, because you did hit him, but I think I'll be able to talk them out of expelling you, at least."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm gonna go in and talk to them, okay? Wait for me here."

The girl nodded, and Emma hurried into the building.


	31. Off the Hook

Emma nearly ran down the hall to the principal's office, and knocked heavily on the door. Looking confused, the principal stood up, opened the door, and greeted the girl.

"What can I do for you? I'm currently in a meeting, but if you'll-"

"I'm Maddy's mentor. I want to talk about what happened here today."

"Oh! Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss...?"

"Swan. Emma Swan."

Emma sat down in a chair beside Maddy's mother, who was staring at her as though they'd never met.

"Do you have some insight into what happened today, Miss Swan?" the principal asked her seriously. "Because if you know something about this, or if it was pre-meditated, we need to know."

"It absolutely was not pre-meditated. She was provoked by this boy. He verbally and physically assaulted her before she lashed out at him, and it's no surprise to me that she felt the need to defend herself," Emma argued.

"What do you mean?"

"He called her a fag and shoved her into a locker. That's a hate crime, and if you don't suspend him, I'm going to suggest that her mother - hello, Miss Walker - bring legal action against the school."

"Excuse me?"

"I think you understood me quite perfectly."

"What makes you think that she's not just telling a lie to try to get out of trouble?" the principal pressed defensively.

"Because I know a liar when I see one, and this girl is  _not_ a liar. She might have a short temper, but it's because YOU are allowing her to be bullied by  _numerous_ students in this school."

"I beg your pardon!"

"I also believe that she should be tested for ADHD."

"That's ridiculous! She has  _behavioral_ problems, Miss Swan! I believe that's why you were asked to mentor her in the first place!"

"You are clearly misunderstanding this girl's experience here, and it's incredibly obvious to me that you are incompetent to do that job. You allow your students to be bullied and harassed, and then blame the victim!"

"I assure you that is  _not_ what is going on here!"

"I believe it is. Miss Walker, please hear me out," Emma said, turning to the girl's mother. "I think your daughter has a lot of problems that can be solved by counseling and medication, as well as close monitoring of the behavior of  _other_ students."

"Medication?! My child is not crazy!"

"Taking medication does not mean someone is 'crazy,' as you put it. It means they need help balancing the hormones and chemicals in their brains, which I assure you they cannot control, and I believe that's the case with Maddy. I also think that it would be in your best interest - as well as hers - to pursue a  _professional_ medical opinion."

"That's... That's..."

"Please, Miss Walker. I want to see your daughter behave better and stay out of trouble just as much as you do. I care about her deeply, and I'm here to help you both."

The woman hesitated, then nodded her head.

"I'll take her to a doctor and get their opinion. In the meantime," she said, turning from Emma to the principal, "you will not expel or suspend my daughter, but you  _will,_ at the very least, suspend the young man who assaulted her first."

"That's ludicrous! I-"

"I'd hate to be forced to follow this young woman's advice and bring legal action against you. I really would. But if you think you can kick her out of school, you are sadly mistaken."

"Alright. But I want to know the doctor's report."

"Unfortunately," Emma interjected, "medical history and information is legally classified, and you have no right to it."

"Ugh!" the woman said, standing up. "Fine! I'll suspend the boy who  _supposedly_ started this. Just get out. The last thing I need is a lawsuit."

So Emma and Maddy's mother left the principal's office.

As they stood in the hallway, the blonde said, "I really believe that this is the right thing to do, Miss Walker... I think Maddy has problems that can easily be helped by a change in what behavior is tolerated from other students by this school's administration, as well as some attention to her predisposition to an inability to focus. I honestly think that you're going to see a big improvement if you bring her to a doctor and get their help."

"I hope you're right, Miss Swan, because I'm at my wit's end with her right now, and if she gets into any more trouble, I don't think I'm going to be able to get her out of it."

"Then trust me, and get her some help."

"I will."

"Thank you, Miss Walker. I appreciate your willingness to hear me out."

"She adores you, you know," the woman told her. "Really adores you. Talks about you all the time, already."

"I adore her too. I've known her for a short time, but she's absolutely wonderful. She's a very special girl."

"I know she is. It's just hard for me to handle her behavior, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. I understand. I don't have children, so I don't know what that's like, but I do know what it's like to try to help someone and be frustrated by their lack of progress. I also know what it's like to be that kid who's hard to control."

"Thank you again, Miss Swan, for taking the time to defend her. How'd you know what happened anyway?"

"She called me as soon as you went to the principal's office, and she was very upset, so I offered to come down. When I heard what happened, I wasn't going to tolerate the way I knew the school was going to treat her."

The woman smiled and held open the exit door. As soon as Emma stepped out, Maddy ran up to her, tears still in her eyes.

"What happened?!" she asked anxiously.

"You're off the hook this time, kiddo. The principal is going to suspend him. But you gotta stay out of trouble from now on, okay?"

"Yeah..." the girl said slowly, looking down at her untied shoelaces.

When Emma noticed that they were indeed untied, she knelt down and tied them for her, then looked up into Maddy's eyes.

"Your mom's gonna take you to a doctor, like we talked about, alright? And you gotta be honest with them about what's going on with you, in your head, and how you're feeling."

"Okay, Emma."

"Good girl," Emma said, standing up and placing a kiss on the top of the girl's head.

"Alright," the girl's mother said. "We should get going."

Emma nodded and waved goodbye as the two walked back to their car. Only when she saw them drive away did she pull out of the parking lot.


	32. Mastering the Ollie

"They said I've got it," Maddy told Emma the following Wednesday. "I went to the doctor on Monday after school, and she gave me medication for it."

"Have you tried it yet?"

"Yeah. I tried it yesterday and today. It makes my mouth kinda dry, but it's easier to sit still now, and I can pay attention a lot better."

"That's really good!" Emma said with a smile, hugging the girl tightly. "I'm really happy for you. It makes my mouth dry too, which is annoying, but it really does help. You've just gotta drink lots of water."

"You think this will help me get my grades up?"

"I do, but you have to keep working hard, okay?"

"Yeah. Okay."

"Good. Now, let's head to the library and get your homework done. Then, we'll work on that ollie, alright?"

"Yeah! I practiced all weekend with the skateboard you gave me. I'm getting better!"

"I bet you are, kiddo! I totally believe that. I can't wait to see! You're using your helmet and pads, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, can we do that first?"

"Maddy, you know we can't. Homework first, then we have fun."

"Alright," the girl pouted, then hopped in Emma's car.

"So what music do you like?" Emma asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"I dunno. Some rap, some metal, some alternative. A little bit of everything."

Emma smiled at her and nodded her head.

"Just like me."

"Really?"

"Yep!"

"Good. I wanna be just like you when I get older."

"Aww, kiddo... That's so sweet!"

"Well, you're awesome, and I love you!"

Emma's smile grew as she replied, "You too, buddy."

Over the next few weeks, the two grew even closer, and Maddy's focus improved tenfold. Homework was completed in half the time, and with far less whining, to the point where most of their time was actually spent outside having fun. The girl learned how to do an ollie, and as soon as she did, Emma took her out for ice cream to celebrate.

"I'm super proud of you," Emma told her as she handed over the ice cream cone (a princess twist: raspberry soft serve swirled with vanilla).

"Thanks, Emma!" the girl said happily, taking the first few licks of her ice cream to catch the drips threatening to fall on her hand.

"I mean it. And not just for your ollie, even though that's totally awesome too. I'm proud of you for your schoolwork and bringing up your grades. Really,  _really_ proud. You've done great. Your mom's proud of you too."

The girl smiled and hugged her mentor, clinging to her tightly and trying not to get her ice cream on herself or on Emma. Unfortunately, this effort failed, and as her grip tightened around the blonde, the ice cream cone bumped against the bare skin of Emma's arm.

"Oops!" Maddy cried, quickly pulling away and reaching for a napkin to wipe up the mess.

Emma just laughed and shook her head, taking the napkin away and wiping it up herself.

"It's alright, buddy," she said with a reassuring smile. "Just a little spill."

The girl looked embarrassed, so Emma hugged her again, being careful not to cause another messy accident.

"No big deal," she assured the girl brightly.

Finally, Maddy nodded and looked down at her ice cream, which was starting to drip onto her hand.

"Lick it, quick!" Emma laughed, poking the girl in the shoulder. "Quick!"

The young brunette smiled and licked the mess from the cone, then wiped the stickiness away with a clean napkin.

"Good work, champ," the blonde said, patting her on the back.

Maddy finished her ice cream slowly, after Emma, then leaned all the way back until she was laying down on the bench of the picnic table.

"Eat too much, goober?" Emma asked playfully, peeking under the table to smile at the girl.

"Uh-huh. Should've gotten the kiddie size, not the small."

"Next time we'll do that."

"Next time? You'll bring me back?"

"Of course I will, sweetie. Anytime you want. Next time, not before dinner, though. That was a pretty bad idea. I don't want you to lose your appetite and get me in trouble with your mum."

The girl laughed and sat up, looking at her mentor with a smile on her face.

"Thanks, Emma. I love hanging out with you."

"I love hanging out with you too."

"I don't wanna go home..."

"Why not, hun?"

"It's not fun at home. Mom just tells me to eat and go to bed. I've been staying up and reading lately, but it's really boring. Being with you is more fun."

"Aww, c'mon. Reading's fun!"

"No, it's not. I just do it because there's nothing else to do. Mom won't let me have a TV in my room."

"Well, how 'bout I bring you some books next time? I think I have some that you'll like."

"Yeah, like what?"

"You ever read the Harry Potter series?"

"Yeah, but that was too easy. I mean, I love the story, but... I want something harder."

"Alright. How about  _The Hobbit_  or  _Lord of the Rings_?"

"Never read 'em."

"I'll bring them with me next time. They're harder, though some of the parts in  _Lord of the Rings_  are boring, but the story's great and the writing is good."

"What are they about?"

"Well,  _The Hobbit_ is about a young man who sets out on an adventure to get the dwarves' rightfully owned treasure back from a dragon.  _Lord of the Rings_  is about that man's nephew, who sets out on a similar journey, to destroy an evil ring."

"An evil ring?"

"I know that sounds kinda dumb, but yeah. It was used by a really bad guy to gain power and hurt and control other people."

"That's bad."

"Yeah, I said that."

Maddy laughed.

"It sounds silly, but good. I'd love to read them."

"Alright. Next time I'll give them to you and after you read 'em, we can talk about the stories and you can tell me if you liked them or not."

"Sounds good!"

"Alright. We should get you home, though, buddy. It's getting late."

"No, it's not. Come on, Emma. I wanna skateboard some more. Teach me some new tricks! Please?"

"Not tonight, sweetie. Next time I will. I promise."

With a sigh, Maddy hugged the blonde, then walked with her back to her car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Thanks for hanging in there! Regina comes back in next chapter :)


	33. From Bad News to Big Steps

"Hey, babe," Regina said into the phone, her voice giving away the smile she was wearing. "What's up? How was your day?"

"Maddy almost got expelled today," Emma told her. "She got in a fight with some homophobic prick."

"That's awful! What happened with the admins at the school?"

"I talked to them, and they ended up suspending the other kid, but... I don't know. She's on really thin ice there. She's like me. All she knows is how to fight. She has no other coping skills right now, just like I didn't back when I was in middle and high school."

"But you have them now, and she will too. Especially with your help, babe. I wouldn't worry too much. Just keep doing your thing, alright? Keep being there for her."

"She started taking her meds, though, a while ago, and she's been doing really well in her classes."

"That's great, honey! I'm really happy for you guys."

With a sigh, the blonde muttered, "Yeah," then went quiet.

"Babe? What's wrong?"

"The detectives called today."

"What?"

"They said there's not enough evidence to press charges."

"WHAT?! Are you fucking serious? Those incompetent pricks!"

"Don't freak out, okay? I feel bad enough as it is. I don't need you all stressed out about it too."

"I... I'm sorry, babe. I just... I didn't think this would happen. I... I had faith that..."

"Yeah, you know what? This law bullshit is exactly that. BULLSHIT. Our justice system is  _so fucked!_ "

"I know, honey. I know... I'm so sorry. I wish I could be there... I wish I could..."

"I fucking need you here. I can't handle this. I can't handle the distance."

"Come see me, then. Take the bus next weekend."

"But you've got homework, and I... I've got homework. And..."

"Let's be honest. Neither of us cares about our homework at this point."

This earned a small laugh from Emma, who was relieved to hear the joking tone in her lover's voice.

"You do too," Emma retorted with a smile. "You're smart. I'm a retard and can't-"

"Hey. Come on. Don't talk like that. You're smart too. You just have trouble focusing. Just like Maddy, right?"

"I... I guess so..."

"Do you think that she thinks you're a retard?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Of course she doesn't, because you're not one. You're tutoring her, just like I tutored you. Sometimes, some very smart people just need a little push."

With a sigh, the blonde replied, "Yeah. I guess you're right. She really is smart. She's just never really been given a chance to show it."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about."

"Gina..."

"What, babe?"

"She's the little sister I never had growing up. She's... She's so important to me..."

"Aww... Baby... That's so cute!"

"When I think about her getting hurt... or think about her going through what I went through... it makes me want to hurt people. It makes me want to find him and rip off his balls so he can never do it again."

"I wouldn't blame you, babe, and I'd visit you in prison, but it's probably not a great plan, considering you've worked so hard in school to get where you are now, and Maddy needs you in her life."

"I want to protect her from this fucked up world. I want to take care of her. Her mom is so... so negligent. I just want-"

"Listen... Em... You can't take the place of her parent."

"What the fuck, Regina?! That's not what I meant!"

"Em, I know you..."

"What the fuck!"

"Hey, come on. Calm down, okay? I'm just saying-"

"You know what? She'd be better off with me. I never thought I'd  _ever_ say that, but it's true. Her mom gives like maybe one shit per week about her and then just sends her to bed, half the time without dinner, and finds any excuse to punish her. I mean, she's not getting beaten, as far as I know, but-"

"Emma... She needs her mom.  _And_  you. You have two separate roles."

"You think I don't know that?"

"I think you want to protect her, and that right now, you might feel like she'd be better off with you, but kids need their parents."

"You think I don't  _fucking_ know that?! Better than  _anyone?_ "

"Oh, Em... I didn't mean... Fuck..."

"This has been a horrible fucking day, and all I wanted to do was see you, and now I'm just fucking pissed that you could be so fucking thoughtless and that you could misunderstand me so badly."

"Emma! I didn't mean it like that! I was just trying to-"

"Well, don't. She  _would_ be better off with me. I'd be a fucking horrible mom, but I'd be better than the one she has. I'd take care of her."

"Honey, I  _know_ you would! You're an angel. I just meant-"

"Can you just stop? I'm going to go and I'll talk to you later."

"Come see me next weekend."

"It's almost Thanksgiving. I've got exams. I'll see you soon anyway."

"Please, Emma..."

"I can't."

"Sweetheart..."

"Don't, okay? I don't want to hear it right now."

"Babe, please don't do this. Don't hang up angry. Don't go to bed angry."

"I'm not going to bed. I'm going out."

"Emma..."

"I'm going to drink until I puke so I can forget this fucking bastard who's never going to be brought to justice and is probably just going to assault someone else, and-"

"Stop it! Drinking isn't going to help  _anything_  and you know it!"

With a sigh, Emma replied, "I know, Gina. I'm just upset. I was drunk when he... when... when it happened. I don't think I ever really want to be drunk again. At least not around anyone else."

"If I could be there, I would. I'd hold you and let you cry and just be _there_ for you. Can we at least Skype tonight?"

"I don't want to."

"Alright. I'm sorry, okay? If I could take back what I said... Look, I know this girl means the world to you, and I-"

"Maddy. Her name is Maddy."

"Babe, I know. I-"

"Regina. Enough. You have no idea how this feels. I'm done talking about it, since you're clearly not willing to listen. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"I do want to listen! I will! Babe,  _please!_ "

"I don't want to talk anymore. I'm over it."

"Don't hang up like this. Don't."

"Or what?"

"Or you'll feel like shit!"

"You mean  _you'll_ feel like shit."

"We both will."

This made Emma pause, and she bit her lip to keep herself from speaking.

"Emma?" her lover pressed cautiously, hearing the silence on the other end of the line. "You still there?"

"Yeah, I... I'm here."

"I love you."

"I love you too," the blonde sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm being a dick."

"No. I'm being insensitive. You're just being a little short with me, which I don't blame you for. But I love you, okay? Really. More than you could possibly know. I didn't mean to offend you or hurt you or say anything stupid. It was a mistake, and I regret every word. I'd want to take her away from that mess too. She deserves to be loved. And you know what, Em?"

"No... What?"

"You will be a  _great_  mother."

"Will?"

"I... I meant..."

"How do you know I want kids?"

"I... I don't... I just..."

This earned a laugh from Emma as she replied, "I'm just teasing. I never did before, but... being with you... mentoring her... I think I've changed my mind." After a long pause, Emma asked, "What about you? Do you want kiddos someday?"

"I... I'd love a few rugrats of my own, honestly. I didn't want them before I met you, either. I always thought I'd raise them like my mother raised me, and I didn't want to put them through that. Now, I... You make me want... You make me want to grow our family, you know?"

"Oh, wow... That's... not the answer I was expecting..."

"Shit. Yeah, that was... That was embarrassing. Uh... I should go. Yeah. Um... I-"

"Hey, stop. I'm flattered. Anyone would be crazy not to want a family with you."

"Part of me wants to just quit this and be a stay-at-home mom," Regina laughed lightly. "I'm so tired of studying. So tired of being away from you."

"I am too, baby. I can't wait to see you again."

"Are... Are you really serious? About what you just said?"

"Well, yeah. Why else would I say it?"

"I don't know. I just... I'm surprised."

"Surprised about what? That I want to have your babies?"

"I... I..." the brunette stammered, her mouth hanging open as she stared at the wall of her dorm room.

"Just tell me you want mine too." After a long pause, Emma added, "Regina?"

"I do! Sorry. I... I spaced out... I... I  _really_ do."

"Do what?" Emma teased.

"I do want your babies!" the girl squeaked nervously, blushing brightly as she heard her own words. "That sounds so silly..."

"We want to have babies together. Is that so silly?"

"No... I guess not. But it is a big step in our relationship to admit that..."

"Yeah," the blonde agreed, finally smiling again. "It really is."


	34. Why Haven't We

Soon, it was the week before Thanksgiving, and Emma had begun to make plans for the big meal.

"Regina?" she asked into the phone.

"Yeah, babe?"

"I've been thinking... and I really can't wait until the weekend for you to meet Maddy. Do you think it would be okay if I invited her and her mother over for Thanksgiving dinner? Or even lunch. I mean, I'm sure her mother will want her  _home_  for dinner at the very least, but-"

"Emma," Regina laughed. "Of course you can invite her. I can't wait to meet her either."

Naturally, this broadened Emma's grin from ear to ear as she flopped back on her bed with a contented sigh. As her eyes shut, having begun to feel quiet heavy, she sighed again.

"You okay, babe?" Regina asked softly, lying back against her own pillows as she waited for an answer.

"I'm excellent, actually. I'm so fucking excited I can't stand it. She's  _wonderful_ , Gina. You're gonna love her."

"You really adore this kid, don't you?"

"If I could have a kid that was anything like her, I would be more than blessed. Sometimes I just want to bring her home with me and never give her back. Her mom just doesn't care enough. She's neglectful, and Maddy deserves better than that, you know?"

"I know, babe, but every kid needs their mother."

"That's not true. I grew up without mine."

"And it hurt you."

"Yeah, well... If she had someone else to care for her the way I do, it wouldn't be an issue."

"No one can replace your real mom. You know that, Emma."

"Stop it, okay? It's not like I'm actually gonna kidnap her and pretend to be her mom. I was just saying."

"Honey, I know that. I'm just trying to say that at least her mom is in her life. That's all."

"Yeah, you're right. You're absolutely right. I guess I'm just bitter that her mother takes her for granted. But she's not so bad, I suppose. I mean, she brings her to her doctor's appointments and shows up at school when she gets in trouble. That's definitely something. It's just... there's no emotional support there. Maddy feels so alone when she's with her mom."

"But that's where you come in."

This brought Emma's smile back as she replied, "I really do adore her. I don't know what I'm gonna do when she doesn't need a mentor anymore."

"You needed a tutor all through college. I don't think you're going anywhere. Besides, you're more than a tutor to her. You're like her big sister."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm so lucky to be in her life. I can't even... I don't know. I don't deserve her. I'm so scared to fuck this up. What if I-"

"Babe," Regina cut in. "You're not going to fuck anything up. You're doing great. Just be there to support her. That's all she really needs."

"Alright," the blonde sighed in return, grabbing one of her extra pillows and squeezing it against her chest.

After a small pause, Regina spoke up again.

"Emma..."

"Yes, love?"

"I can't wait to see you."

"Oh, my God. I know. I can't wait to see you either! Your beautiful face... That gorgeous smile... Those perfect eyes..."

"Oh, stop," the brunette giggled into the phone, blushing on the other end of the line.

"I mean it."

After a while, the brown-eyed beauty finally managed to say the girl's name once more.

"Yeah, babe?" her lover answered, sounding concerned.

"I miss you..."

"Honey, I know. What's the matter, though? You sound so... I don't know. Are you alright?"

"I miss... I'm..."

Emma couldn't see it, but Regina was biting down on her lower lip.

"Babe?"

"I miss fucking you."

As Emma's lips parted, her tongue darted out to wet her lips. That certainly hadn't been the response she'd expected. Of course, she felt the same way. It had been  _way_ too long since either of them had gotten laid. More importantly, it had been too long since they'd shared that kind of intimacy. The distance was painful, and the longer Regina was gone, the more frequently their arguments occurred.

"Em?" Regina asked shyly, after a few moments had passed with no response from her lover. "You there?"

"Yeah... I'm... I'm here."

"Was that weird?"

"No! No, not at all. I just... I wasn't expecting that."

"Oh. I... I'm sorry..."

"No, Gina! No! I didn't mean it like that. I just... I haven't heard you say that since you left."

"I've been thinking it since I left. I didn't want to point it out and make it harder."

"Make your erection harder, or make missing me harder?" Emma teased, chuckling lightly at her joke.

"Oh, shut up, asshole. You know what I meant."

"I do know what you meant. I know exactly what you meant."

"Emma..."

"Hmm?"

"Why... Why haven't we... I mean..."

"What?"

"Why didn't we try... you know..."

"Uh... No?"

"I... Um..."

"OH! You mean... phone sex?"

This turned Regina's face a deep shade of red. Luckily for her, Emma couldn't see this, and therefore couldn't tease her about it. Or so she thought.

When she didn't reply, though, Emma laughed and asked, "You're beet red aren't you?"

"Fuck," Regina cursed, exasperated by Emma's ability to read her without sight. "How do you always fucking know?!"

"I just know you, babe," the blonde chuckled.

"You do know me," Emma's lover said slowly. "You know me better than anyone."

"And that's why you should marry me," the girl said simply, sporting a proud smirk.

"I... I... What?"

"Well, I didn't give you a promise ring for nothing."

"Emma..."

"I'm in it for the long-run, baby. I wouldn't let you go for the world."

"Why are you so goddam precious?"

"Because whatever god there is made me the way I am to please you."

"Oh, stop it. You're perfect, and God has nothing-"

"Do you want to?"

"What?"

"Do you want to have phone sex?"

"I..."

"Do you?"

"I..."

"You brought it up. I assume you did that for a reason. I'm not pressuring you. I'm asking why you said anything about it."

"Well, I... I'm... I mean..."

"Regina," Emma laughed. "Don't be embarrassed. Just talk to me."

"I just want to be close to you, in any way I can."

"You know, I think about this a lot."

"Huh?"

"Saying dirty things to you that make you want to touch yourself."

"I always want to touch myself when I think about you, idiot."

"I'm being serious. I like thinking about you... you know... naked, under the sheets... with your eyes closed... just..."

"Emma..."

"Lie back, baby," the blonde husked slowly. After a pause where she was sure that Regina had done what she'd asked (but that she was too nervous to speak), she added, "Do you remember the first time we fucked?"

"Of course I do..." Regina said softly. "It was perfect. I was so... inexperienced... and... clumsy."

"That's not true," Emma assured her. "You were perfect. And so,  _so_  beautiful..."

"I... I'm hideous naked..."

"That's ridiculous! Regina, stop it! You have the most gorgeous naked body I have  _ever_ seen. And unfortunately... I'm a slut... so I've seen plenty of naked bodies..."

"Emma, you're not a slut."

"I do prefer the term 'experienced,'" the girl joked lightly. "Anyway, that's not the point. The point is... it was perfect. You moaned so loud..."

"I..." Regina tried, but her face was so hot that it melted the words before they could come out.

"I don't want you to be embarrassed. I want you to understand what the fuck that does to me. It was so sexy. How shy you were. How much you seemed to love it."

"Emma..."

"You know what, though? One thing I love that you do now that you didn't do before..."

"Yeah?"

"You look me in the eyes when we make love. It's so intense... and it just... God, it  _really_  gets me off. The way you change the pace of your movements..."

"I just want to make you feel good."

"You do. Do I, though?"

"You know you do, baby."

"Yeah? How?"

Regina hesitated, unsure of what exactly Emma wanted to hear, but she could tell where the conversation was going.

Even though she was extremely nervous (having never done anything like this before), she managed to answer, "The way you say my name and whisper in my ear... The way you tell me to go harder... And the way you make me beg..."

"You like begging, huh?"

"For you, yes..."

"Good. Because as soon as you get here, I'm gonna make you so hot and wet that you do beg for it."

Blushing, the brunette paused, not knowing how to proceed.

"I don't know how to do this," she finally told her lover.

"Just tell me what you want to do to me, babe. And what you want me to do to you."

"I... I want-"

The conversation went on, growing more sexual and more intense as the words passed their lips, until they'd urged each other into an orgasm. Per usual, Regina moaned as she came, and Emma's breath grew heavy and labored. It was late by the time they had finished, so they said their soft 'goodnight's and 'I love you's. After this, they both went quiet, but neither hung up the phone.

"Em?" Regina finally asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm here."

"Why didn't you hang up?"

"Why didn't you?" Emma pressed.

"I don't want to."

"I don't either..."

"Fall asleep with me on the line?"

"Really?"

"Please, baby? I don't want you to go..."

"Alright, love," the blonde conceded. "I'll stay on the phone with you."

So the two fell asleep with their cell phones pressed against their ears, content to simply listen to the sound of each other's breathing, almost as though they were together again, lying next to each other in bed.


	35. Begging

"Hi, Miss. Walker," Emma said into the phone. "How are you?"

"I'm doing just fine, Emma. Thank you," the woman answered. "What's up?"

"I was, um... I was wondering what you guys were planning on doing for Thanksgiving?"

"Not much, really. Don't really have the cash for a turkey at the moment..."

"Would you like to come over for dinner? My parents sort of bought a gigantic turkey and there's no way we could finish it. My girlfriend is also coming up from New York, and I'd really love for her to meet Maddy."

"Oh, wow... Emma, that's so sweet! I'd love to, and I'm sure Maddy would love to meet your lady, if she's anything like you! I'll let her know and we'll see you in a few days, alright?"

"That sounds great! Regina is nothing like me, though," Emma chuckled. "She's brilliant, and refined, and very polite."

"You're very smart and polite yourself, Emma. Thank you so much, sweetheart. You're really too kind."

"Not a problem! See you guys soon."

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

By the time Regina arrived, the night before Thanksgiving, Emma could barely contain her excitement.

"REGINA!" she screamed, as she watched the woman step off the train and onto the platform.

They crashed into each other's arms and stayed there a while, just savoring the embrace, until Emma finally pulled away slightly to catch the girl's lips.

"I love you," Regina whispered with a smile as their lips parted.

"I love you too. Now let's get home so I can take you to bed," the blonde teased.

Once they were back at Emma's house and had said goodnight to the girl's parents, they made their way upstairs to the blonde's bedroom. Once they had changed into their PJs (meaning nothing at all), they slipped under the covers and held each other until they were almost asleep.

"Hey," Regina finally said sleepily. "I thought you were gonna ravish me."

"I am. I just needed a minute to relax and recover from my excitement."

With a grin, Emma quickly rolled over on top of the brunette and grabbed her hips, pressing their bodies together.

"Ah!" Regina cried, then quickly covered her mouth to stop the sound.

"Shh," Emma whispered. "My parents  _really_ don't need to hear what I'm about to do to you."

"Oh, Emma," the brunette moaned, as Emma's fingers slipped between her legs.

"Holy shit," Emma breathed. "You're so wet already."

With a blush, the older girl turned her face away and squirmed slightly under the weight of her lover, saying, "I..."

"A little worked up, are we?"

"I've been worked up since I first got on the train. I'm fucking horny as fuck. How could I not be?"

Emma turned the girl's chin until their eyes met, then slid her fingers over Regina's clit. With a gasp, the girl's eyes widened, and her hips involuntarily lifted to gain more contact.

When she stopped, Regina gasped, "Emma, please. Baby, please..."

This, of course, earned a broad grin from her lover, who began to move her fingers again, this time sliding them over Regina's clit once more before slipping two inside the warmth of her core.

"Emma... Oh, fuck," the girl moaned, squeezing her eyes shut as her head fell back against the pillow.

"Yeah?" Emma teased, pushing her fingers deeper.

"Emma!"

"Shh," the blonde hissed, trying not to laugh as she covered the girl's mouth with her free hand. "Beg  _quietly._ "

When Emma uncovered her mouth, Regina spat back, "Fucking bitch," and also had to hold back her laughter.

"You're not gonna be calling me that when I finish you, are you?"

"I... N-No..."

"That's right. Now beg me, or I'll stop."

"Emma," the brunette whined. "Shut up. Just  _fuck me._ "

"I will," the blonde retorted. "But not until you beg for it."

After a few more thrusts, her lover was whimpering and squirming beneath her. Then, when she stopped, Regina finally continued to beg, urging Emma to continue.

With every thrust, Regina moaned and added a frantic, 'Please,' as she pushed her hips up.

"That's it, baby," Emma whispered. "Tell me what you want."

"Fuck me," the girl whimpered. "Just fuck me."

So Emma did as she was asked, until her lover could hardly catch her breath and was panting from the exertion. As soon as Regina came, the brunette flipped their bodies and instantly reached between her legs, stroking the blonde's most sensitive area.

"Gina," the younger girl gasped in surprise. "That's... Ah, fuck..."

Her lover ignored the whimpers of, 'Wait, I...' and continued to rub her clit, until Emma was moaning even louder. Then, it was Regina's turn to cover her lover's mouth to stop the sound from escaping. This, of course, made breathing even harder, and as the shocks of orgasm began to rock her body, Emma's lungs felt as though they might explode and then collapse in on themselves.

"I missed you so fucking much," Regina breathed in her ear, then kissed her cheek lovingly.

Emma pulled her down and held her close, allowing her breath to gently tickle the skin on her lover's neck.

"I love you," she finally said. But tears started to fill her eyes as she managed to choke out, "I don't want you to leave me."

"I'm never going to leave you. I'm just going to be away from you for a while. But I'll always be yours. Okay?"

When Emma nodded, Regina kissed her forehead, then relaxed against her body, just as she'd done after the first time they'd made love.

"I love you too," she whispered back, then fell into a deep sleep, tangled in Emma's warm embrace.


	36. Meeting Maddy

The next morning, the two of them stayed in bed for as long as possible, after another round of lovemaking. Around eleven, they crawled out of bed and made their way downstairs to help out Emma's parents with the meal. The turkey, as Emma had told Maddy's mother, was huge. Far more than they all could manage to eat, even together. It looked delicious. As ecstatic as she was for the food, though, the blonde was far more excited to see her guests - especially the young student she had grown so fond of.

When they finally arrived around one in the afternoon, Emma literally sprinted to the door. Panting, she threw the door open with a large smile and waved at them both.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted them happily. "Great to-"

But before she could get the words out, Maddy had thrown her arms around her.

"Emma!" the girl cried, resting her head on her mentor's chest. When she finally pulled away, she squeaked with excitement, "Where's Regina?!"

"She's in the kitchen with my parents," Emma laughed. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's go say hi."

Maddy, suddenly feeling shy, took the older girl's hand and followed her slowly into the kitchen.

When she saw Regina's face as the girl turned around, she couldn't help but cry, "Wow, Emma! She really is beautiful!"

Immediately, the color of the brunette's cheeks turned to a deep red, but she forced herself not to look away, instead smiling at the younger girl and giving her a quick wave.

"Hey, hey, hey," Emma cut in with a grin. "No hitting on my girl."

Laughing at the comment but choosing not to respond to it, Regina managed to say, "Thank you, dear. That's very kind of you to say."

"It's true!" Maddy exclaimed, stepping closer and sticking her hand out. "It's an absolute pleasure to meet you, Regina!"

"And it's a pleasure to meet you, dear! I've heard  _wonderful_ things about you."

"Huh?"

"Emma raves about you. Never shuts up about you, really. She thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread."

"Emma? You talk about me?" Maddy asked anxiously, looking to her mentor for the answer.

"Of course I do, kiddo. You're an important part of my life! And I'm  _very_ proud of you."

Maddy turned her attention to her own shoes, a small amount of color rising to her cheeks.

Before she could respond, her mother stepped forward towards Regina and extended her own hand as a greeting.

"Pleasure to meet you, Regina," the woman said with a smile. Then, turning to Emma's parents, who were watching them with smiles on their faces, she added, "And a pleasure to meet you both as well. Emma has been absolutely wonderful to Maddy. She never shuts up about Emma either. I think the two were meant to be sisters."

Emma grinned proudly and grabbed the younger girl's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, which Maddy returned with enthusiasm.

"We're happy to have you here," Emma's father told them both. "You and Maddy are always welcome in our house. Your daughter has made ours a very happy young lady."

"What?" the younger girl asked. "But-"

"You do, kiddo," Emma told her, turning to face her and kneeling down as she took the girl's other hand as well. "You make me very happy. You're my favorite little buddy. You know that?"

Throwing her arms around the blonde's neck and feeling as though she might cry from happiness, Maddy buried her face in Emma's neck.

"You're my best friend, Emma," she whispered, so that only her mentor could hear her.

"You're mine too," Emma whispered back, playfully ruffling her hair. "I love you, champ."

"I love you too."

By the time Emma rose to her feet, the people surrounding her were all staring with broad smiles, especially Regina.

They all ate happily, making enthusiastic conversation with each other. As she ate, Maddy swung her legs back and forth excitedly and bounced lightly in her seat.

"Sit still, Maddy," her mother scolded her. "Be polite."

"I'm excited!" Maddy explained. "The food is really good and Regina is here and Emma is here and-"

"It's okay, sweetheart," Emma told the girl. "Just relax, alright? We're not going anywhere. We'll have plenty of time to play around after dinner."

With a quiet nod, Maddy continued eating. Still, she was unable to stay silent for the entire meal. Every few minutes, she blurted out another animated question for Regina, asking things like, 'How long before you finish school?' 'How old are you?' 'What music do you like?' 'Do you like to read?' and 'What's your favorite movie?'

"Maddy, calm down," her mother snapped. "Don't bother Regina when she's trying to eat."

"It's fine, Miss Walker," Regina laughed. "She's alright."

So dinner continued this way, until finally, everyone had finished two or three helpings of everything on their plates.

"Emma, Emma, Emma! Can we play video games now?" Maddy cried as they rose from the table.

"Madeline, don't-" the girl's mother started to protest.

"Sure, we can!" Emma cut in. "As long as Mom says it's okay."

Emma winked at the woman and waited for approval.

"Well... I suppose that's alright. If you're sure she's not bothering you."

"She never bothers me, Miss Walker. We have lots of fun together. Don't we, Mads?"

Maddy nodded enthusiastically and grinned at her mother, then at Emma and Regina.

"Okay, bud," the blonde announced. "Let's leave our parents down here to talk about adulty stuff, and we'll go play upstairs in my room."

"YAY!" the girl screamed, bolting for the stairs and running up to Emma's room.

Emma passed out the controllers, even giving one to Regina (who usually didn't play video games).

"I'm sooooo gonna beat you!" the younger girl cried, squeezing her controller in anticipation as her mentor started the console and loaded the game.

"I dunno," Emma laughed. "You might beat me, but Regina's pretty good."

"I am not!" the brunette protested with a chuckle. "Emma's the pro here."

"Not compared to me!" Maddy bragged. "I'm gonna whoop you guys."

And, to Regina's surprise, she did exactly that.

"Great job, sweetheart!" Regina exclaimed, raising her hand for a high-five.

The younger girl slapped her palm against the brunette's and grinned at Emma.

"See? Told ya!"

"Yeah, yeah, punk," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "Next time, no mercy."

"You weren't showing mercy! I beat you fair and square! Don't lie!"

"Alright, alright!" her mentor chuckled. "You won for real. I'm still gonna cream you next time."

Before the girl could manage to respond, a large yawn escaped her, and she rubbed her eyes.

"Sleepy, monkey?" the blonde asked, placing a kiss on the top of Maddy's head.

The girl shook her head, of course, but both older girls could tell that she was exhausted. Right on cue, Maddy's mother called up the stairs for her to come down, announcing that it was time to go.

"But Mooooom!" the girl cried as she stomped down the stairs, with Emma and Regina trailing behind her. "I don't wanna! I wanna stay with Em and Gina!"

"They need their alone time, Madeline," the woman told the girl, then winked in the direction of the young couple. When she turned back to Maddy, she assured her, "You'll see them again soon."

"But what about Regina? She's leaving after this weekend!"

"We'll see you Saturday?" Regina offered. "We have no plans at all for the weekend. Just hanging out. I'd love to see you again before I leave!"

Maddy nodded enthusiastically and clapped her hands.

"Okay, guys. See you Saturday!" She hugged Emma first, then turned to the brunette. Before the older girl had a chance to say goodbye, Maddy's arms were around her, squeezing her tightly, as she said, "You're the best, Gina! I'm so glad you're finally here!"

As she returned the embrace, Regina's face grew warm, and a wave of affection washed over her. Emma was right. The girl was far beyond charming, and just as her lover had, she was falling fast into a place of intense adoration.


	37. I Want One

As soon as they were alone in Emma's room, Regina flopped dramatically onto the bed and whined, "Emma,  _I want one._ "

This earned a burst of laughter from her lover as she replied, "I know, right?"

"No. I want one  _now._ "

"See what I mean? She's  _perfect._ "

"She really is. God, I don't want to leave you guys..."

"I wish we could just..."

"I know, babe. Me too..."

Regina sighed heavily and shut her eyes, folding her arms behind her head as she leaned back against the pillows. When Emma laid down next to her and curled against her body, she sighed again.

"Babe? You okay?" Emma asked cautiously, watching at the troubled expression on the brunette's beautiful face.

"That's it. That's fucking  _it._ I'm fucking dropping out to be a stay-at-home Mom."

"Regina!" her lover cried. "You are not! Don't even joke about that!"

"But  _Babe._ Please?"

"Absolutely not."

"But  _why?_ "

"Firstly, you've worked  _way_ too hard and spent  _way_ too much money on your education to give up now. Secondly, I... I can't support us both yet..."

"Oh, Em... Baby, I was just-"

"No, I know. I just... I wish I could, you know? But I'm... Anyway... Thirdly, I wanna be the one to stay home!"

Regina laughed at this, opening her eyes and placing a gentle kiss on her lover's lips.

"If you want to stay home, you can."

"What?"

"Well, if I go through with this, I'll be able to-"

"No way. I'm going to work and put in my fair share! There's no way you're going to support me while I sit on my ass and contribute nothing."

"Taking care of our kids isn't  _nothing,_  Emma. It's a difficult, full-time job. You know that."

"I know, I just meant... Financially."

"Well... You know... Day care is expensive. A lot of times, especially if you have more than one kid, it ends up being a wash."

"What?"

"Some people end up working and then spending all their income on day care. Which doesn't really make a lot of sense. If it's the same amount of money, you might as well spend the time with your kids, you know?"

Emma raised an eyebrow at this, looking surprised.

"You're serious?"

"If you want to stay home, I'll support you in that."

"I..."

"I mean that."

"How... How many kids are we talking here?"

"As many as you want..."

"Nine? Ten?"

"Nine or ten little trouble-makers running around destroying everything? You sure?"

"You said as many as I want!"

"Well, within  _reason_."

"That is reason! Can't you just imagine it? Ten little munchkins waking us up every morning and making us want to tear our hair out?"

Regina's smile broadened as she kissed her lover's lips slowly and didn't pull away.

Eventually, she mumbled, "Maddy really makes me want kids, Em. I'm so excited, and I really just can't wait..."

"We have to wait."

"I know that, babe. I'm just saying it's... it's going to be hard."

"Ugh. Her mom is nice enough, but honestly. She never listens to Maddy when she talks. I've seen it. The way she talks to her, like she's just some... pawn to move in a game."

"Emma..."

"It's frustrating, okay? I want to take care of her. I want her to be around people who validate her thoughts and emotions and make her feel as important as she really is, not people who make her feel like a worthless piece of shit. She can't talk to her mom about  _anything._ She had to nearly get expelled for her mother to even consider taking her to a doctor for medication!"

"At least she brought her."

"Stop taking her side! It's ridiculous!"

"Babe, come on. I'm not. I'm just saying."

"She'd be better off with me."

"Honey, you know that - as much as we both wish this wasn't true - we're both too young to raise a kid."

"She would though! As scared as I am to fuck everything up with her, I  _know_ I love her more than her mom does. I value her more than her mom does. I take better care of her than her mom does. I-"

"I know you do..."

"What?"

"I said, 'I know you do.' I know she'd be better off with you. I've been trying to make you feel better about her being stuck with her mom."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said. The truth is that you are an amazing big sister, and you're going to be a wonderful mother, when it's time. Right now, though, you just need to be her big sister, and take care of her that way."

"I  _know_ ," Emma groaned, covering her face with a pillow. "I just want to make sure she's raised with love and compassion, you know?"

"I know. I do too. She's a wonderful girl, just like you said."

"Did you expect her not to be?"

"No! I was sure you were right. I just... I didn't realize exactly  _how_ wonderful she was. She's perfect. She's smart, and funny, and fun, and polite, and enthusiastic, and charming. Honestly, Em... She's..."

"She's what?"

"She's just like you."

"Huh?"

"She acts like your kid already."

"What? You really think so?"

"I do."

With a smile, the blonde cuddled closer to her lover and whispered, "She's as smart as you, though. Soon, I'm gonna need you to help me tutor her."

"I don't think so," Regina replied, smiling softly in return. "I think you've got this under control. You know more than you think you do. You did before too. You just had a hard time storing what you knew, retaining it, and recalling it. It doesn't mean you didn't know it, and that you won't be able to help her when it's time for more difficult work."

"I don't believe that."

"Please, Emma, just listen to me. You're so much smarter than you believe you are. You're exactly what Maddy needs."

"I hope you're right, Gina... I don't know what I'd do if I messed this up."

"You  _won't,_ baby. I promise."

With a sigh, Emma responded with, "I just wish you were going to be here to help me."

"I'm just a phone call away, hun. I know that's not good enough, but it's something. You're not alone."

After a long pause, the blonde said slowly, "Well, I'm certainly not alone right now..." and gently rubbed her hand over Regina's bare abdomen.

When Regina sucked in a sharp breath as Emma's palm slid over one of her breasts, her lover grinned at the response.

"Why don't you show me how much you missed me, huh?" Emma whispered. "And I'll show you how much I missed you."

"I thought we did that last night," the brunette replied with a wink, earning a scowl from her lover.

"I never want to stop showing you how much I miss you when you're gone. And I want to make as many memories as I can while you're here to hold onto when you leave."

"Fair enough," Regina chuckled. "Show me, then."


	38. Too Perfect

"So," Emma said the next morning, stroking a few locks of hair out of her lover's face. "You wanna take a walk?"

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Regina groaned, opening her eyes. "It's seven A.M."

"Aww, c'mon, babe. I wanna take you out for breakfast."

Ignoring the offer, the brunette rolled over onto her side, facing the wall, and groaned, "Call back later."

"Baaaby," the blonde cooed, brushing the girl's hair away from her neck and placing a slow, tender kiss there.

"Mmm," the girl moaned softly, shutting her eyes again. "Don't do that."

"How come? Did I wear you out last night?"

"You did, a bit, yeah."

"Aww... Surely, you're not too tired for round two..."

"It's not round two if it's the day after. That'd be round one for that day."

"All the more reason you should be rested and ready to go."

"We were up half the night."

"So?"

"How are you  _so_ awake? Jesus Christ, Em. I'm exhausted."

"Maybe I can wake you up a little," the blonde whispered, sucking lightly on the nape of her lover's neck, causing the girl to moan again, a little louder that time.

"Emma, don't," she sighed, but her partner showed no signs of stopping. In fact, Emma's kiss grew more forceful, until Regina was forced to whine, "Don't leave marks."

"Why not? I want everyone to know you're mine."

"Emma," the girl laughed, reaching back and pushing her lover away. "Quit it."

But the blonde was relentless and pressed herself against Regina's back, then began to kiss her neck again, until the girl was moaning even louder.

"Oh, Emma... That's..."

"Does that feel good, baby?"

"Emma, don't tease..."

"Alright. I won't."

As soon as the promise had slipped past her lips, Emma slid her hand over the girl's hip and around Regina's front, then between her legs. Given that they'd fallen asleep completely naked, this was easy access, and Emma was all too eager to feel the slickness of her lover's sex. She stroked her parter's most sensitive bundle of nerves a few times before she slid her fingers between the girl's folds and felt what she'd been aiming for.

"Knew you couldn't resist," Emma whispered. When Regina began to breathe deeply, nearly panting, she added, just to be sure, "Do you want to?"

"Uh-huh," Regina finally agreed, nodding her head weakly.

Emma took the invitation keenly and kissed her lover's shoulder as her fingers entered the girl's hot core. By then, the blonde's touch had Regina aching.

"I love you," the younger girl whispered as her fingers curled into the brunette's center.

"I... I l-" Regina tried, but gasped as Emma increased her force and brushed over her clit with her thumb. "I love you... Emma, I love you."

Once Regina came, she eased back against her lover and sighed heavily as the girl removed her fingers.

"Emma..."

"Yeah, baby?"

"You're so good to me..."

"Why? Because I fuck you like a pro?" the blonde laughed, kissing her lover's cheek.

"No. Because you always take care of me and make sure that I feel good and tell me you love me."

"I do love you."

"I know, Em. I know you do."

"Good. Don't forget it when you leave, okay?"

"I didn't forget it when I left the first time, did I?"

"I think you did for a little bit there."

"Em... I just... You got so angry, and I thought..."

"No. I'll never stop loving you. Not ever."

"How do you know?"

"Because - and I've already told you this - you're perfect for me."

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Emma Swan."

"And I can't wait to grow old with you."

Regina smiled, and eventually asked, "Alright, so what were you saying about breakfast? I'm kind of hungry now."

Laughing, Emma replied, "Get dressed and we'll go."

Once she'd finished half her meal - some eggs, toast, and a few slices of bacon - Regina felt much better, and her smile finally returned and remained over her lips.

"Bet you can't wait to bring a tiny screaming human to a restaurant, huh?" the blonde chuckled, taking a bite of her own toast.

"I really can't."

"Good. I can't either. We're gonna go crazy and pull our hair out."

"Yeah, probably. I think it'll be worth it, though, to have a little guy or girl running around who's just like you. It's gonna be love at first sight. I know it."

After sharing a smile and finishing their meal, Emma asked, "So, you wanna take a walk now?"

"We walked here, didn't we?"

"I mean, like... down to the pier, maybe?"

"Aww, baby! You wanna be all romantic and take me down by the water?"

"Well, kinda, yeah..." the girl answered, a light blush rising to her cheeks.

As they walked down the dock together, Emma reached out for her lover's hand and took it gently in her own, entwining their fingers as they fell in step with each other.

"You're so cute, Em," Regina told her, looking into her eyes as the two of them sat down on the edge of the dock.

"Nah," the blonde laughed, shaking her head. "You are though."

"Stop it," Regina giggled, kissing the girl's cheek.

"I can't believe you're leaving me again," Emma sighed, her smile fading as she looked out at the water.

"Emma... You know I have to. I wish I didn't."

"I wish you'd gone to school somewhere closer."

"It wasn't an option, Em. It was the closest school that accepted me. At least I didn't go to Cali or anywhere like that."

"Yeah... I guess so..."

"I can't believe you're graduating at the end of this year."

"Ha... Me either."

"I'm proud of you, Emma."

"I know, but I don't get why. The only reason I didn't fail out is you."

"And the only reason I'm happy is you."

"Regina..." Emma said slowly, looking concerned. "Don't say that."

"It's true. I know I haven't told you this before, but I was miserable before I met you. I had shitty friends and was extremely unhappy. You've brightened my life in a way I never thought possible."

"I... I didn't know you were so unhappy. You really didn't seem it..."

"I faked it well. All I really had was school work. And you."

Trying to lighten the mood, the blonde joked, "Well, I guess getting laid makes everyone feel better."

"Emma, stop it. I'm serious. Just being around you makes me feel better. When I'm away, it's so hard to keep my shit together... I just want to throw my books against the wall and walk out."

"Well, you're not going to do that. You're going to keep working hard and finish school, just like I am."

With a sigh, Regina replied, "Yeah, I know. That doesn't make it any easier though. I just want to be here with you."

"I want you here too, but you need to do this."

"I  _know_. Jesus, Em. I know that. I just hate it."

"Hey... Relax, okay? I'll support you, no matter what. I know you can do this."

"Thank you... I just... I feel so lost when I'm not with you."

"I feel the same way, babe."

"Yeah, but you have Maddy. I have no one."

"Honey..."

Before Emma could finish, Regina threw her arms around the girl and held her tightly, saying, "I love you, Emma. Sometimes I wish I'd never enrolled in graduate school."

"It's gonna be fine, baby. We'll get through this."

"I know, but it's killing me."

Nodding, the blonde kissed her lover's cheek and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, saying, "I'm not gonna leave. No matter what. I'd wait forever to have you back in my arms."

"You're too perfect for me, Emma."

"Not at all. You're too perfect for me."

The intimate and relatively sappy moment ended in a long, slow kiss, and the two stayed on the pier for the rest of the morning before they returned to Emma's place for the rest of the day.


	39. Ticklish

"Emma! Regina!" Maddy cried, rushing through the front door and charging at them with her arms open.

They both laughed and wrapped their arms around her, giving her a gentle squeeze before letting go.

"Behave yourself, Madeline," the girl's mother warned. "I'll be back to pick you up at eight."

"Okay, Mom!"

Emma smiled as the woman turned to leave and shut the door behind her.

"You think she'll be mad if I let you rob a bank?" the blonde joked, kissing Maddy's cheek.

"Not if she doesn't find out," Regina offered with a grin.

Maddy laughed and walked over to the couch, where she sat down in the middle. The two older girls sat on either side of her.

"So what do you want to do today, kiddo?" Emma asked her brightly. "Whatever you want is fine with us."

"Can we go rob a bank?  _Please,_ Emma? Please?"

Maddy was trying her best to hold back her laughter, but it burst out anyway, which prompted her mentor to lean over and tickle her sides, saying "Hope you're ticklish!"

Regina quickly joined in, crouching down in front of the couch and tickling the girl's feet.

"Guys, nooooo!" the girl wailed, trashing around and kicking out her legs.

Of course, this just resulted in Regina getting kicked in the eye, but instead of crying out, the brunette dropped to the floor, covered her eye with her hands, and howled with laughter. Emma immediately stopped tickling Maddy and dove beside her lover, kneeling at her side and pulling her hands away so she could see the damage.

Instantly, Maddy blurted, "Oh, my God! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to kick you in the face! It just  _tickled!_ "

Regina was now holding her stomach as she shook with laughter, which made it harder for her lover to examine her wound.

"It's fine!" the brunette managed to say through hurried breaths. "I deserved it!"

"Regina! Hold still!" Emma snapped, grabbing her arm and jerking her into an upright position. "Oh, shit, babe. That's gonna bruise  _bad._ You're gonna have quite the black eye to show for it." Then, she turned to Maddy and said sternly, "Madeline Abigail Walker. I swear on my life, if you kick my girl again, I'll break your little toesies."

At first, Maddy was terrified of the threat (even though Emma had been cute by calling the girl's toes "toesies"), but when she saw Emma grin, she relaxed.

"I really am sorry..." she sighed. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Gina."

"It's fine, sweetheart!" Regina assured her. "I'm perfectly fine. I'll tell everyone at school I got in a bar fight and that the other guy looks worse."

Maddy laughed at this, then hopped off the couch and sat beside the brunette, hugging her tightly and asking, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm not crying, am I?"

"Well, no, but..."

"I'm perfectly fine, dear. It hurt, of course - you do have quite the kick - but it'll stop soon."

Emma kissed her lover's cheek and smiled, saying, "Glad you're alright, baby. Guess that'll teach us to tickle her, huh?"

"Nope. It'll just teach us to hold her legs next time!"

Emma chuckled, and Maddy squealed, running to the corner of the room and crouching down, as if trying to hide.

"Oh, relax," Regina chuckled. "We'll save that for when you're least expecting it."

After they'd returned to their positions on the couch and were quiet for a few moments, Maddy sighed, "I don't want you to leave, Regina. I like you."

"I know, honey," the brunette told her. "I like you too. A lot."

"When will you be back?"

"About three weeks from now, for Christmas break."

"That's too long!"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Emma grumbled. "We should just kidnap her and make her drop out of school, huh, Mads?"

Maddy grinned in response and nodded her head.

"Now, now, ladies. We wouldn't want that. I can't give up now, can I?"

"No, I guess not," Maddy huffed. "It's awesome that you're working so hard. I hope I can be like you guys and go to college when I'm older. I'm just... not as smart as you two..."

"Madeline Walker!" Emma snapped. "That is  _not_ true! You're still learning, and your brain is like a sponge! You soak up everything I teach you. You just have crappy teachers at school who don't know how to help you. It's got nothing to do with how smart you are. And you're doing so much better now. You're working hard. You're going to get into college, and you're going to do  _great._ "

The girl sighed, grumbled, and stared at her shoes, swinging her legs slightly.

"I hate school."

"I do too, Mads, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up on it. I wanted to go to college and learn and have something to be proud of, so that's what I'm doing. I know school sucks sometimes, but it's worth it to go. College is also way better than middle or high school. You'll have a great time and learn a lot and I will be very proud of you the whole way, just like I am now."

Regina was smiling at the two of them, watching as they bonded, until Emma turned to her and said, "Let's get you some ice."

"Em, I'm f-"

"Be right back!"

The blonde returned with the ice pack wrapped in a few paper towels and gently pressed it against her already darkening eye. Regina hissed and jumped as the intense cold burst through her, but she settled quickly when Emma put her hand behind her neck to gently hold her still.

"I know it hurts now," the blonde told her, "but it'll feel better in a minute. Keep holding it there."

"Emma, this is-"

"Gina, listen to her," Maddy said with a frown. "I don't want it to be worse than it already is."

"I'm fine, Maddy. Really."

"She is fine, hun," Emma told the girl. "But she does need to ice it before it gets worse, just like you said."

With a sigh, Regina finally agreed to their requests and held the ice pack in place.

When it was time for Maddy to leave, and her mother showed up, the woman gasped upon seeing Regina's black eye.

"What happened, hun?" she asked anxiously.

With a smile, Regina told her, "Oh, nothing. I'm just a real klutz is all."

She and Emma both knew that if they told her what had actually happened - even though it was funny to them - that the woman would get upset with Maddy and blame her for the accident. Still, Maddy was blushing and feeling the guilt as she hugged both of them goodbye.

Arms wrapped around Regina's neck, and as the brunette knelt in front of her, the girl whispered, "Sorry, Gina. I'm  _really_ gonna miss you, and I can't wait to see you at Christmas."

"Keep up the good work in school, sweetheart," the older girl told her. "You're doing great. I'm gonna miss you too."

Emma smiled at them and watched as they grew closer, happy to have the two people she cared about most in her life coming together and immensely enjoying each other's company.

When Maddy pulled away, though, she was crying.

"It's okay, hun," Emma said, lifting her off the ground and swinging her around as she held her. "She's coming back."

"I promise," Regina cut in with a smile. "Before you know it, we'll be hanging out again. And I think I already know what I'm getting you for Christmas!"

"What?! You don't have to get me anything! I-"

"Oh, hush. You deserve a surprise for all your hard work in school! Anyway, you guys had better scoot. It's getting late..."

But Regina was reluctant to let the girl go. Regardless of their sadness at having to watch the girl leave, her mother said her own goodbyes, shut the door behind her, and walked her daughter to the car.


	40. I Always Want To

"Oh, Emma..." Regina sighed, as soon as they were back in the girl's room. "You're  _so_ good with her."

"What do you mean?"

"The way you encourage her and support her and say all the right things. You have such a huge impact on her life, and I can tell how happy you make her. And how happy she makes you. I've never seen a bond quite like that, not even between a parent and their child. What you guys have is so, so special. I'm jealous of it, honestly."

"Gina, she loves you too. I could see it in her eyes as soon as we started hanging out together. She thinks you're the best thing ever. I know her, and I can tell when she's being sincere, and when she said that she liked you, she  _really_ meant it."

"I don't see why. I'm not like you. I don't... I don't know all the right things to say to help her get through her insecurities. You do."

"That's not true, Gina. You helped too. We both talked her through stuff together." There was a pause before Emma added, "Just like we will when we have our own kids."

"Em..."

"Yeah, baby?"

"I can't wait. I'm so excited, and I just..."

The blonde lifted her lover into her arms and smiled brightly, kissing the girl's lips in a deep, slow kiss.

"You're everything I've ever wanted. When I met you, I never could have imagined you even looking at me twice, let alone talking about marriage and kids with you."

"I feel the same way. I never thought  _you'd_ look at  _me_  twice. I was so... lame and inexperienced."

"Just so you know, you were great in bed from the very beginning."

"Emma..."

Setting the girl back down, the younger girl asked, "What, honey?"

"I'm glad it was you who took my virginity."

The weight of this statement surprised Emma, and she quickly realized just how deeply her lover meant it when Regina's eyes began to water.

"Honey," Emma said quickly, sitting down on her bed and pulling the girl down beside her. "Why are you upset?"

"Because I could have messed up. I could have just... given myself to whoever. But I didn't. I was blessed enough to find you. Even if we hadn't gotten together... Even if you hadn't been interested in me... You were so sweet and gentle with me. You cared about how it was for me and that I was comfortable with it. You took care of me."

Suddenly looking sullen, Emma lowered her head and said, "I wish... I wish I'd never... never given myself to anyone else..."

"Oh, Emma!" Regina cried. "I didn't mean it that way! I just meant that I was lucky to have  _you_ as my first! I didn't mean that I was lucky to only have been with one person... Please don't take that the wrong way... I'm so sorry... I didn't-"

"I know you didn't mean it that way. It's just what I was thinking. I wish it had only ever been you. I guess I wouldn't have really had anything to offer you if I hadn't been so experienced, though. I mean, the whole point was that you wanted to know how to do it, right? So... had I not known what to show you... you wouldn't really have wanted to."

"Um... That's... not even close to being true..."

"What?"

"I didn't want you to have sex with me to teach me how to be good in bed with someone else. I wanted you to have sex with me to teach me how to be good in bed with  _you._ "

"What? Seriously? The whole time, that's what you wanted?"

"Of course. I wouldn't sleep with someone just for lessons on how to be a good lay. By now, you should know me well enough to understand that."

"I... I mean... I thought... I know you said... a while ago... that... um... but I... I didn't think you meant... I just thought that it... you know... changed. That you started wanting just to learn how and then it changed for you."

"So, what...? You thought that I changed my mind just because you proved yourself in bed?"

"No! I just meant..."

"That's not how it was. I wanted to fuck you and didn't know how to tell you, so... that was the front I put up. I didn't think you'd do it otherwise. I wanted more than that, too... but I didn't think it was ever going to happen."

"Well, it did."

"Yeah, it did," Regina said softly, finally smiling again.

Relieved at the girl's change in demeanor, Emma smiled back and kissed her cheek, saying, "I love you, Mrs. Mills."

Of course, upon hearing this, Regina stared in disbelief and dumbly asked, "What?"

"I... um... It just... uh... sounded good in my head... Er... Sorry..." Suddenly, the brunette was bright red, looking anywhere in the room except at her lover, until Emma repeated, "I'm sorry."

"No, I... It was just... I was surprised to hear it. It... It sounded..."

"What?"

"It sounded really good."

"Yeah... It did."

Finally, Regina lifted her head and looked into the blonde's eyes, earning a smile from the girl in return.

"I can't wait until you call me that every day," Regina told her. "Until all the letters in the mail have that written on them. Until I can write it on my return address. Until we can file taxes together and-"

"What? Taxes?" Emma laughed, shaking her head. "You're such a nerd."

"Well, yeah. I mean... It'll just be so...  _real_ , you know? When all that stuff happens. When I check the "married" box every year and fill in the information about my beautiful, sweet intelligent spouse..."

"God, Gina," the blonde sighed. "You sure do know how to make a girl melt, don't you?"

Again, the older girl blushed and looked away, biting her lip and causing Emma to stare.

"Hey..." the blonde said slowly. "Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Don't bite your lip like that."

"Why not?" Regina teased, biting down again as she picked up on the tone of her lover's voice.

"Because it makes me horny."

"Well," the brunette started, flashing a sly smile. "We should probably make the most of the last night we'll have together for a while."

"Really? You want to?"

"Well, yeah. Don't be silly. I always want to."

"Okay... Then come here and let me take your clothes off."

Grinning, Emma leaned in and kissed the girl's lips, slowly, but with passion, as she slid her hands beneath her lover's blouse.


	41. Christmas Break

More tears were shed when they said their goodbyes, and when it was finally time for Regina to return home a few weeks later, they were ecstatic. Just like they had over their short Thanksgiving break, they embraced tightly when the girl stepped off the train. They spent the next few days alternating between spending time in private and enjoying days with Maddy. They exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve, given that each of them had plans to spend Christmas day with their families.

"Okay, Mads!" Regina cried happily. "You first!"

"No! I want you guys to go first!"

"Too bad, munchkin!"

With a scowl, Maddy sat down on the floor, crossing her legs as Regina watched happily.

"Okay, champ! Shut your eyes!"

Reluctantly, the girl did shut her eyes, but protested, "You guys really didn't have to get me anything..."

"Hush, monkey!" Emma cut in, grinning from ear to ear as anticipation bubbled over. "Alright. Open your eyes, bud!"

As soon as she did, the girl squealed. She could tell what the gift was, even through the wrapping paper. (Its obvious shape gave it away.)

"Well?" Regina pressed, setting the large gift in Maddy's lap. "Open it!"

Once the wrapping paper was torn off, she screamed and dropped the gift, staring up at the brunette with tears in her eyes.

"Regina, you shouldn't have!"

"DUDE!" Emma cried. "Brand new skateboard! I'm super jealous!"

Even though the blonde had known what the gift was, she feigned surprise to heighten the excitement. Regina grinned and leaned in, placing a kiss on the younger girl's cheek.

"You deserve it, sweetheart. You work  _very_ hard and should definitely have some fun. Emma and I are  _extremely_ proud of you!"

By this time, Maddy was crying.

"Hey, hey, hey," the brunette said quickly, upon seeing the tears, scooting beside the girl. "Don't cry, darling. You really do deserve this, and I'm really happy to get to be the one who gets to give it to you."

Throwing her arms around Regina, the girl's eyes continued to spill tears over her cheeks as she cried, "Thank you so,  _so_ much!"

"Emma's skateboard is  _way_ beat up. You should have something awesome to use when you're outside tearing up that pavement like a pro."

Regina winked at the girl and kissed her cheek again.

"Hey, shut up about my skateboard!" Emma said, pouting. "It's a classic!"

"It's  _vintage_ , dear. Not classic."

At first, Emma scowled at her lover, then turned to Maddy, announced, "My turn!" and clapped her hands with excitement. "Mine's good too!"

"Emma..."

"Open it, Mads!"

"Alright, alright! Jesus, you guys are twerps."

When Emma handed her the large package, Maddy hesitated, looking up into her mentor's eyes, but as soon as the older girl nodded, she carefully tore open the wrapping paper.

"Emma, no way!"

"Yes way!"

The girl stared down at her lap inside the box that she'd opened, then gaped, "There's gotta be twenty CDs in here!"

"And it's all good stuff. I promise."

"Of course it is! You picked it! But Emma, I..."

"You better hide the explicit ones from your mum. I didn't wanna get you the censored versions."

"EM, THAT'S AWESOME!" the girl cried, jumping up and diving into her mentor's lap where she wrapped her arms around her neck and squeezed tightly. "Thank you  _so_  much!"

"Of course! Anything you for you, kid." Emma grinned, then added, "There's some Blink-182 in there, some Fall Out Boy, a little bit of Atreyu... Even some Eminem, just to spice things up a bit. Figured you liked a wide range, so I tried to switch it up a bit. Actually, I have some of my old ones to give you too. They're upstairs. I just didn't want to wrap them. But seriously, you can pretty much have my whole collection. All my stuff is on the computer now."

"What, really!?"

"Really, really."

"Emma, thank you!"

As the girl sat back down on the floor in front of the box of CDs, Regina leaned in close to her lover and whispered, "You didn't tell me you got her the explicit versions."

"Yeah, well..." Emma tried, blushing. "I, uh..."

"I'm totally for it."

"What?"

Before Regina could answer her to confirm what she'd just heard, Maddy looked up and asked, "What are you guys whispering about? Are you making fun of me?"

"Of course not, Mads," Emma told her. "We're talking about how glad we are that we got you the explicit versions of those CDs. She was just saying she agrees with me in my choice to give you those instead of the censored versions. I think you're old enough to handle it maturely and not run around dropping swears."

"Oh!" the girl said happily. "Cool! I'm glad too. Better not let mom find out, though. She'd probably kill us both."

"Well, we won't let that happen then, will we?"

"Nope! Okay, so now you guys have to open yours. You have to share them with each other, though."

Emma tilted her head curiously and smiled at the girl, saying, "Alright. Bring it on."

They were each handed a flat item wrapped in shiny, bright red wrapping paper before Maddy added, "It's not much, but it's kind of all I could come up with right now..."

"I'm sure it's great, honey," Regina told her with an encouraging smile. "Can we open them now?"

"Uh-huh. Go for it. Just promise you won't laugh."

"We're not gonna laugh, Maddy. I'm sure they're-" Emma started, then nearly dropped the item in her hands once she'd torn the wrapping paper off. "Maddy... This is... This is incredible! Did you really draw all this?"

"Yeah," the girl confessed with a blush. "It's a comic. It's about you guys, and how awesome you are."

"You're an  _amazing_ artist, kid! I never knew! How come you didn't tell me you liked to draw?"

"I dunno. I'm really no good at it. Anyway... Regina, open the other one!"

Regina was staring at the pages of the comic book that Emma was slowly flipping through, but tore her attention away to open the gift in her lap. Both the older girls' jaws dropped when they saw it. It was a framed sketch of a picture of the two of them that they had taken together before Regina had left for school. The original photograph was up in Emma's room beside her bed. The drawing was identical, and clearly made with exceptional skill and care.

"This is absolutely incredible, Maddy," the brunette breathed softly, staring down at the picture. "Thank you so, so much."

"Oh, my  _God_ , kiddo! You really are  _amazing!_ "

"Not really. It took forever. I've been working on it since Thanksgiving."

"Madeline Abigail Walker. You are talented, and amazing, and wonderful, and I  _love_ you."

With that, the two embraced the younger girl and held her tightly. Emma kissed the top of her head as she rested one arm on Maddy's back and one arm on Regina's.

When they finally broke the embrace, the girl sighed happily, "Best Christmas ever," and flopped over until she was laying on her back on the carpet. "I love you guys so much. Regina, I wish you never had to leave."

"Me too, sweetheart. Me too."

"Alright, guys," Emma cut in, causing Maddy to sit up again. "Time for my present for Regina."

"Em, we said we weren't going to-"

"Regina Mills," the blonde said, taking a deep breath as she got off the couch and knelt in front of her lover. As she reached into her pocket and remained on one knee, the girl's mouth fell open, and even though she could tell what was coming, given Emma's position, she was shocked into tears when her lover softly said, "I have loved you since I saw you. There is no one I would rather spend my life with than you. Would you please do me the honor of being my wife?"

Maddy screamed and clapped her hands as Regina started to sob, watching Emma place the enormous diamond ring on her finger.

"Of course I will, Emma," the brunette managed to choke out, her voice cracking. "God, I love you so much!"

"I better be invited to the wedding!" the younger girl shouted as she watched the two embrace.

Emma was crying now too, but she managed to look over at Maddy and reply, "Of course, darling. I wouldn't dream of having it without you."

As the couple finally began to dry their tears and sat back down on the couch, this time beside each other, the blonde said, "Merry Christmas, guys. I love you both."

Practically in unison, the other two replied, "Merry Christmas, Emma," and put their arms around her.


	42. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, kids! Epilogue time!

"Amelia Madeline Mills!" Emma cried with a laugh as their six-year-old daughter bolted up the stairs. "Get back here right now!"

"No bath, no bath, no bath!" the girl squealed, stomping down the hallway towards her bedroom.

By the time her parents reached her, she was wedged under the bed, 'hiding' in the darkness.

"Oh, man," the blonde said dramatically, looking around the room. "She's gone! I don't see her anywhere! You see her, babe?"

Regina shook her head, holding back a laugh, and said, "Nope. She must have escaped out the bedroom window! Well, I guess that means more cookies for us then..."

"Cookies!" Amelia wailed, squirming out from under the bed. "Guys, I want cookies too!"

"Oh, my goodness! There you are!" the older brunette chuckled. "We thought you'd escaped the bath we were going to give you."

"NO BATH, NO BATH, NO BATH!"

"If you want cookies," Regina warned her, "you will get into that bath tub right this minute."

"Mooooom," the girl whined, tugging on Emma's shirt. "Do I have to?"

"Do you have to do whatever your mother tells you? Why, yes, young lady. You do."

The blonde grinned down at her little girl, kissed the top of her head, and said, "Let's go, monkey. It's Christmas Eve. We don't want you smelling gross when Santa comes!"

"Santaaaaa!"

"Yep! Now hurry up so we can get some cookies in your tummy and put your monkey butt to bed!"

Regina smiled at the two as her wife lifted the little girl into her arms and carried her down the hallway into the bathroom. After her bath, their daughter was significantly calmer than she had been before, but was clearly still immensely excited for cookies and Christmas. (What little kid wouldn't be?) Once they'd each finished their share of the sugary treat, leaving some out for Santa Claus, of course, the brunette carried their sleepy daughter back up the stairs and into her bedroom.

"Goodnight, my angel," Regina whispered, kissing the girl's cheek as she tucked her into bed.

Her wife kissed their daughter's other cheek before adding, "We love you, baby."

"I love you both too."

"Now, you be good and stay in here. If Santa sees you peeking, he won't leave any presents!"

"Okay, mama!" the girl cried with a grin, wiggling deeper under the covers and squeezing her eyes shut.

With that, they shut off the lights and left her to fall asleep.

A few hours later, once they were finally done wrapping all the presents and arranging them carefully beneath the Christmas tree, they made their way back up the stairs and into their own bedroom.

"Holy shit," Emma groaned. "I think we over-did it this year, babe."

"She's our little princess," Regina replied simply. "She deserves it."

With a smile, the blonde replied, "That she does, darling. That she does. She was a little feisty tonight, but I think that's fair, considering what day of the year it is."

"Mhmm. Anyway, we should get some sleep before we pass out standing up. I'm exhausted."

"Me too, but..."

Regina cocked an eyebrow and looked at her lover, questioning, "What?"

"I dunno. I was just thinking..."

"Emma,  _what?_ "

Her lover approached her slowly, putting her hands on her hips, then replied in her most seductive voice, "I was just thinking we could... you know... have a little bit of... pre-Christmas, celebratory all-done-wrapping-everything sex."

"Emma, it's two in the morning!"

"I know, I know! I just... It's been a while..."

With that, Regina's expression softened, and a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"It has, hasn't it? We've been so busy with Amelia that we've sort of... gotten away from 'us' time."

"I just miss it. We used have sex all the time. Now, it seems like we're always too busy or too tired. Amelia's perfect, but she sure is a handful. I definitely didn't study for being a mom when I was in college."

"We both knew she would be a handful when we signed up for this."

"No, I know! I didn't mean it like that. I just meant... We shouldn't forget to take care of ourselves too. And each other."

Suddenly, passion flashed in Regina's eyes as she leaned in, her lips close to her lover's ear and whispered, "You want me to take care of you, baby?"

Groaning, Emma laid down on the bed, pulling Regina down with her, until the brunette was laying on top of her.

"Well?" her wife pressed with a smirk. "Do you?"

"I want you to make love to me."

That was all either of them needed to say before they began to remove each other's clothes. After a long night of love-making, the two woke completely exhausted, barely conscious enough to speak, to the loud squealing of their daughter, who was jumping on their bed.

"Guys, guys, guys!" she shouted, startling her parents awake. "Santa came!"

"Ughhh," Emma moaned, squishing the pillow over her face. "I know. Five more minutes."

"Nooooo! Mommy, please! I wanna open presents!"

"Go open your stocking and mommies will be down in a minute, okay?" Regina cooed, sleepily stroking the little girl's hair as she flopped down between them. "Just the stocking, though!"

Pouting, the girl nodded her head and hurried downstairs to begin the day's adventure.

"She's gonna be the death of me," Emma laughed, once her daughter had left them alone together. "First, she made me fall in love with her from the very first moment I saw her, and now she won't let me sleep! Just like you."

"Just like me?" Regina questioned, tilting her head.

"You don't remember college, when you used to wake me up in the middle of the night to make love to me? Or keep me up all night in the first place? Not to mention, I fell in love the moment I saw you too."

"Oh, Emma, stop it!" the brunette laughed, playfully shoving her wife's shoulder. "You're ridiculous."

"No, I mean it. I've always been in love with you. You two are my whole life. The best Christmas gift anyone could ever ask for. There's nothing else I'd rather wake up to."

After a long, thoughtful pause, Regina smiled and asked, "Not even  _two_ little munchkins?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all, folks! Thank you so much for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! PLEASE let me know what you guys thought about it as a whole! I'd love to get some feedback. I'm considering writing a sequel that addresses the in-between time and possibly from graduation stuff, but I guess we'll see. Right now, I'm wrapping it up here. Again, thanks for sticking along for the ride!


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